Ipod. Youwhat?
Since its launch at the turn of the millennium, Apple’s Ipod has made considerable leaps in popularity, with recent press reports praising the sale of its 100 millionth ipod in just 5 years (SMH Tech Lift out
The cliché that form follows function stems from the modernism era, whose grand narrative was that everything had a rationale, a name, and thus could be easily pigeon-holed (Isakhan, 2006). Although the ipod is a very post-modern device, the former cliché applies to it: a conveniently pocket-sized item, slimmer than a lot of mobile phones. Its ultimate function is to store information and make it accessible to its user at any given time, at home or on the move. Lyotard said that “communication technology, information and power go hand in hand” (in Isakhan, 2006). In fact the ipod does allow its user convenience and flexibility of use over the information it stores, be it music, video, photos, organisational data (notes and reminder), and games. The palm/hand held pc (pda) does all that, hence it is not accurate to tag the ipod as a new media device. The latter’s so widespread because it has been mass produced as a super-brand, using the familiarity of other hegemonies (see Annex 1). The initial ad Apple used to market the ipod: U2 appeals to different generations of a same family, and the colours remind of Andy Warhol. This contributed to turn the ipod into a the must-have device for tech savy people, or just a cool fashion accessory that still had a bit of novelty to it back then. I, for one, don’t find long journeys aboard public transport as burdensome as they used – I’ve an ipod and as Leichman (2006) points out, the earphones around my neck are my do-not-disturb sign. It is my escapism, but this doesn’t necessarily mean I disconnect myself from my surrounding. The ‘I’ implies selfishness. This escapism can be linked to Baudrillard’s Simulacra (Stockwell, 2007: week 8). It is quite a common sight in public spaces seeing people walk around like they’ve just come off the Warholesque ad campaign for Ipod. PBS Senior Correspondent Jeffrey Brown expresses the same school of thought in his interview. He advances that having earphones plugging our ears puts us in a “bubble” (originally aired on pbs.org 15/5-2006).
Nowadays, competing brands like Microsoft have released similar devices to the ipod but few have enjoyed as much endorsement from artists themselves (See Annex 2 & 3). Besides their obvious entertainment value, ipods have also been used in the educational sector. They are used as study aids in quite a few North American universities, downloading lectures as video podcasts, and/or voice recording them if the students bother attending them (Tyre in Newsweek Nov 28/2005). This can be rebutted as being commercially-driven product placement, however, that’s the way the education industry goes these days. Along the same lines, Griffith University is supplied in hardware by Dell and HP. Journalist Noah Blundo, goes one step further, likening that very concept to ‘communism or even worse’ (The Post Online 6/04-06). But I find his article just short of a killjoy’s rant rather than illustrating a scholar who reads Marx.
Let’s look at Gramsci rather, because his theory of hegemony, which is basically that one specific social group hold power and exerts dominance over another (cited in Barr, 2000: p. 17). According to Gramsci, “[…] media are tools that ruling elites use to perpetuate their power, wealth and status [by popularising] their own philosophy” (Barr, 2000: p. 17). Now, paralleling this to communism, is far fetched. Blundo is of the idea that it becomes problematic when institutions which are supposed to mould tomorrow’s elitism are advocating notions that such and such band rocks.
This point-of-view draws a bit closer to communism in the sense that the student population are being policed into what they should deem is cool and what is not. Again, this brings us back to Gramsci’s aforementioned theory.
The same theorist also has a discourse that even within hegemony, struggles does happen.
“culture, society, and politics as terrains of contestation between various groups”
(Kellner, 1995: p. 101).
This has already begun when iTunes, the 99cent/song online reliable store, made its appearance. The songs’ dirt cheap legit prices not to be outdone, iTunes then had popular tv shows available for download at similar rates. It goes without saying that consumers were delighted at that this novelty, because as Flew puts it,
“it changes the means of distribution and storage, and in the associated business models, of these media” (2005: p. 2).
Having the most loved soapies available for viewing at one’s discretion brightened the lives of more than one couch potato, who might as well be bus/train potatoes with the mobility that comes with ipod.
Benjamin, from the
Isakhan, Benjamin (2006) 2404ART Culture, Media and Society Lecture week 12, semester 1, School of ARTS, Griffith University
Stockwell, Stephen (2007) 1501ART New Communication Technologies Lecture week 7, semester 1, School of ARTS, Griffith University
Flew, Terry (2005), ‘New Media: An Introduction’ 2nd ed Oxford University Press, Melbourne
Barr, Trevor (2000), ‘newmedia.com.au’, Allen & Unwin,
Kellner, D. (1995) Chapter 3: For a cultural studies that is critical, multicultural, and multiperspectival. In Media Culture.
Web References:-
Sydney Morning Herald Tech Lift out
Brown, Jeffrey 2006, ‘Apple's IPod a Technological, Cultural Phenomenon’,
John, W 2004, ‘The World at Ears' Length’,
<http://www.ministryofsluggo.com/ipod.html>, last accessed
Leichman, A 2006, ‘iPod means tuning out of the world around you’,
<http://www.cnet.com.au/mp3players/0,39028967,40061024,00.htm>, last accessed
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10117475/site/newsweek/>, last accessed
Blundo, Noah 2006, The Post Online
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