These days, it's impossible to avoid Apple technology in American life. Everybody you know has heard of or possesses something with the honorable prefix 'I' before it.Like other technological fads of the old days, like cassette players, wired phones, etc., someone with marketing genius has capitalized on the advances in technology. Those born today will never know what these items were, and become dumbfounded at our nostalgia when we mention it.
But a better question to ask is how such fads impact society as a whole. Everyone you see today has some product by Apple, even presidents and celebrities.
There are numerous commercials anywhere and everywhere, praising the godly products that seem to have taken hold of the modern world. Everybody seems to have been entranced by such products, which seem to infiltrate everywhere in large cities. In San Francisco, I doubt if there is a room where an Apple product is not present.
This Apple fad is in much larger scale than other fads of the past. It has become a vital part of how we perceive media and its subsequent distribution, along with the mass marketing it has established. Apple products are the new status quo.
As Apple stock skyrockets and the company becomes increasingly successful, we may begin to wonder about the consequences of such a powerhouse. After all, with a revenue of $42 billion and a market cap of $181 billion, this is American capitalism at its finest.
As Steve Jobs becomes a prophetic icon of informational success, he also becomes an inspiration for the many starting businessmen in the market today. Who else might follow in his footsteps?
Also I wonder, what is the main motivation behind the powerhouse of Apple? Are they here to make insane amounts of money? Or control us all subconsciously?
My main point here is that we must be wary of the unknown consequences such market control might bring. We are no longer in the age of corporation limitations of the T. Roosevelt presidency. Might we turn into the zombies of a one company economy?
Seems to me it's already happened.
I can totally agree with you here-consumerism plagues me just the same. I hate it, but there's not much I can do. I'd prefer smaller buisnesses and quality over quantity, but that's pretty much impossible. As these huge corporations snowball, it becomes harder to stop them. And who could? In capitalism, only money is worth anything. Besides, most people would agree they'd prefer to pay less money and help these corperations than dish out more to preserve a system which is quickly becoming archaic in the US.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-01-27/apples-mac-killer-unveiled/
ReplyDeleteI like Douglass Rushkoff's take on the "politics" of computer brands...he's a smart dude and writes well.
I've always been an Apple devotee myself, since age 9; one day I might grow to regret it.