A cell phone can be and can represent many different things. For most people, it is a way to communicate, whether through phone calls, text messages, email, or social media. For others, it is a way to escape everyday life or things that bore us. Again, this can be through phone calls, text messages, email, social media, games, music, movies or a plethora of other things from the over 1 million apps one can acquire on the app store (The Verge).
We can also associate cell phones with progress. John Berger's 2011 interview with BBC expresses the need for advancement with the specific example of the microscope. He also points out how important progress is and how much we need it to accomplish things in the future.
Another association one can make to cell phones is with Amy Stone's article on Linda Stein. Phones today can act much like the armor Stein was creating to protect and empower people. Many people can use it like an armor to hid behind while others can use it to stand up and fight. For example, bullies like to "hid behind cellphones" and harass people via social media. A more positive example is someone who uses there phone to start a cause online to raise money for something like pediatric cancer research. Cell Phones are one area where the "4 B's" are quite prevalent. With a phone, we can be bullied, be a bully, be a bystander, or be a brave up-stander. Although it is not necessary the phone, usually it is social media, cell phones do provide an outlet for it.
Most people learn their connections to cell phones through seeing other people's connections. These ideas come from a combination of our observations, associations, and what society puts forth. On magazines, TV shows, the internet, or even among our friends and families, we see people using their phones to communicate or to escape something. The Frontline article "The Coarsening of Culture," a subset of the Merchants of Cool Series, helps to show how ideas are spread among the young via TV which can be applied to how many people get their ideas and associations about cell phones.
When I asked several friends what there reactions and associations to the artifact were, I surprisingly got a variety of answers ranging in length and understanding. My friend Ryann, also a freshman here at Penn State, said that when she saw the image she saw "our generation's whole lives. I think because technology is so great, everyday things are all in one place. Unfortunately, it sometimes takes away normal social behaviors because they take up most of our time or we are always on them." Amanda, a freshman at Anne Arundel Community College, said "Well I know that as your phone so I kind of associate that with you, because I know you." Sean, who previously attended The University of Maryland, said that he associated cell phones with "Idolatry, pseudo-intelligence, addiction, laziness, isolation marked as interconnectedness, and cultural stagnation." He said he has these connections because "that's just how it is." He also drew a parallel between slavery and cell phone addiction; he said it was like "being shackled by the invisible chains of wireless connection," which was a very interesting way of viewing it. Finally, Mary, a junior at Loyola University Maryland said that "I associate communication with a phone because I use it to communicate."
Since phones are not really gendered, except perhaps in what color you can get, it was hard to get any result with the regendered website. Phone makers, whether it be Apple, LG, Samsung, or any others, avoid using words that would persuade certain genders from buying their product. They are looking for the greatest total profit so they try to be universal and appeal to everyone. Cell phone companies try to bypass the issues brought up in the "Unpacking Privilege" article, such as gender construction and race privilege because that would lead to bad business.
There is a slight issue in privilege as not everyone in all countries can afford a cell phone or have access to cell tower; although it is becoming a lot easier, even in third world countries. In some cases, cell phones can be banned altogether. Take the Bihar village in India. Unmarried women are not allowed to use cell phones and married women are only allowed to use cell phones indoors and in the company of relatives (Feminist Majority Foundation). For other countries, cell phone use is extremely restricted, like in North Korea. In places like Saudi Arabia, cell phones with cameras have been banned (NBC News).
Another area where an issue with privilege may arise is in the production of cell phones. Apple uses Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., among others, to manufacture its Iphones. Hon Hai is a subsidiary of Foxconn, which was responsible for conditions so bad that a large number of the 300,000 people working there felt that they had no other option but to commit suicide (Fox News). Apple manufacturing employees face abuse of labor laws and in some cases, even lack of "common decency." Apple violates several labor rights in many of their factories including wages and the hiring process (Economic Policy Institute). This information really makes a consumer start to wonder what our phones are really worth.
To conclude, cell phones have become an important part in many people's lives. They can serve the functional role of helping us all stay connected or they can serve a more fun role in the form of entertainment. They also help us to escape the bores of everyday life by letting us become someone else for a little while. This can have some negative effects as addiction can become a serious problem and can cause severe psychological disorders and can even lead to the harm or death of others, such as in a case of texting and driving (News Medical). Due to how connected we are as a generation, the cell phone has become extremely culturally significant and is likely to remain significant for a long time.
Sources:
"Apple Reveals Who Makes Its IPhones, IPads, and More." Fox News. FOX News Network, 13 Jan. 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
"Bihar Village Bans Use of Cell Phones by Women." Feminist Majority Foundation Blog. Feminist Newswire, 5 Dec. 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
John Berger Interview. Perf. John Berger. Youtube. BBC, 27 May 2011. Web. 30 Sept. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7LZxCUApds>.
Dretzin, R. "The Coarsening of Culture." PBS. PBS, Nov. 2002. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
Ingraham, Nathan. "Apple Announces 1 Million Apps in the App Store, More than 1 Billion Songs Played on ITunes Radio." The Verge. N.p., 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
Keifer-Boyd, K., Amburgy, P. M., & Knight, W. B. (2007). Unpacking privilege: Memory, culture, gender, race, and power in visual culture. Art Education, 60(3), 19–24.
"Mobile-phone Addiction in Teenagers May Cause Severe Psychological Disorders." News-Medical.net. N.p., 27 Feb. 2007. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
"Saudi Arabia Bans Cell Phone Cameras." Msnbc.com. N.p., 29 Sept. 2004. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
Shapiro, Issac. "New IPhones, Same Old Working Conditions." Economic Policy Institute. EPI, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
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