The End Of Individuality: The iPhone Phenomena

When the iPhone was introduced in 2007, it brought in a wave of new technology to the mainstream public, new forms of communication, faster processing speeds, and a touch screen phone that was aesthetically pleasing and user friendly. It started a revolution that helped bring Apple to the fore front of mobile communication, and had absolutely destroyed the notions its criticizers had.

When the iPod was first introduced, most people said that Windows would come out with an iPod killer. Well, it is 2012, iPods have been available for ten years and eleven months, and the Zune is not doing so well. Back to the main topic here, the iPhone has gone through six stages. The iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and finally last (but not for long) iPhone 5.

You may be wondering what the connection is behind the title and what I have said in this thread, a little more on that in a bit. Does anyone remember when the eight track was popular? Vinyls? Tapes? CDS? Of course we do. We all had fun trading records and tapes and recording our own horrible renditions on boom boxes back in the 80's and 90's. Sure, to younger folks who might not know what I am talking about, this may seem archaic and old. But, there were times where all you had to do was pop the record or tape or cd in the player and it played. No going through complicated lists of folders of bands based on how much you have played them or what connection they have to the other bands you have on your device.

There used to be a time when email was only read at the office, and paper was still a popular form of communication. Nowadays, email is prevalent in basically every aspect of society and multiple cultures. There used to be a time when text messages were completed by pressing the same number four times just to get an S. Now, with all of these touch screen and multiple function phones, everything can be completed with extreme ease, and even older people who were not capable of grasping the concepts of CDs or how to make the VCR function own these devices and use them on a regular basis.

What set all of this up?

The iPhone ladies and gentlemen.

But wait? I know what you are going to say, "The Blackberry came out eight years before the iPhone and incorporated some of the same features you are saying came on the iPhone! You sir, are a liar!!!"

The answer to this is yes and no. While the Blackberry was the first to be an email pager, it was not the first to have a touchscreen interface, and as many functions as the first iPhone had.

What does all of this have to do with the end of individuality? This is my favorite part.

The reason why the iPhones are the end of individuality is because everyone "must" have one, or risk being ridiculed like every other fad that has ever come and gone. The difference? The iPhone, even though they are all built from the same components and parts, can be individualized to meet the owner's specific needs. You can download customized applications, "jailbreak" your device (and void your warranty) download "fresh" and "cool" ringtones that only cost ninety nine cents to download to show off to your friends how much of an individual you are by rocking the latest Katy Perry song when your friend texts you about how much she hearts different things.

The reason I believe this to be a conspiracy, is because it ties in ever so conveniently with the growth and rise of social media. The cloud software conveniently backs up your data whenever you want it too and stores it digitally online, so you can retrieve it in case your iPhone shuts down and requires a restore. Not only that, but think about the latest revelations in the iPhone 5 some people have been experiencing. Apple marketing to them even when they do not have internet access, and it not being a text message advertisement? Them having the ability to shut anyone's iPhone down if they deem it to be a threat or if something is wrong with it? Sounds a little creepy to me.

The reality behind it, is the iPhone is just one in a million now with all of the smart and superphones out there that operate at speeds never thought possible in 1995. Samsung, LG, HTC, and many more are competing and almost winning the battle for supreme overlord in the smartphone world. where is our friend Blackberry though? I think last time I heard, our friends in Waterloo Ontario are in some big troubles and have gone to extreme measure to stay afloat.

The iPhone is not a device that screams individuality. it is a device that screams "Look at me, I am part of a group that spent $900 to be cool". With the evolution of Facebook, Twitter, and various other forms of social media, it has become all too easy for companies to market to you via your iPhone. Of course the same can be said for the others, but iPhone is really the one that set the research in motion (see what I did there?)

The bottom line is, those who walk among us who do not have smartphones and will fight to the death to not have one, are the coolest, most independent people I know. Personally, I wish I could go back to having a Motorola RAZR, those phones looked pretty sharp (I will stop the horrible jokes soon, I promise). I am not saying that people who have iPhones lack intelligence, I am merely saying that anyone and everyone who has an iPhone or a smartphone to exhibit their individuality, are not individuals, but collectivists who are hiding under the veil of superficiality.

I am not innocent in this, I had an iPhone once, I hated it, but I did have one.

So, what say you ATS? End of Individuality? Or Beginning of Zombification?

Well when you sign up or renew a contract you get a pick for a phone, of course your gonna go with whatever has the best features... I dont use half of them, but to know i have them makes me feel superior ....

Originally posted by DragonRain311
I am merely saying that anyone and everyone who has an iPhone or a smartphone to exhibit their individuality, are not individuals, but collectivists who are hiding under the veil of superficiality.

Really? A 10 paragraph essay to say: "People who follow fads "to be cool" aren't individuals"?

Really?


The iPhone is not the beginning of the zombified populous, we have been integrating further and further with technology for years as you point out yourself. The iPhone is just a miniturized computer that has realized a large amount of said integration in a short period of time.

reply to post by eNumbra


If you are going to criticize my thread, at least make an effort to ensure your spell check is on before posting. Miniature is how the word is spelled. There are also a couple more paragraphs than ten there sir.

Oh the irony... Something that started as a "hipster" trend turned all "mainstream"

Personally I have a iPhone4 with the cool case, and I do not plan on buying a new one.

And as you know they say; "it isn't the size that matters, It is the Phone Case".

I have and iphone because it does alot of cool things. Since so many people have them of all social and economic classes I do not know why anyone would think it would be cool to have one as a status symbol. The fact of the matter is they are handy to have. Information is power and smart phones give you access to all the information you want, anytime anywhere. I have no idea why anybody would not want that.

reply to post by DragonRain311


Is that it? You can't deny my point but you can attack my post?

I miscounted btw, because I forgot a even a single sentence is counted as a paragraph; my English skills aside, my point remains.

This isn't a general conspiracy this is a whiny rant.

Is it really necessary to start a thread full of opinion just because you dont like the iphone?

a wise man on ATS once said:

"Is this thread I am creating an honest attempt at civil discourse/debate about the subject or, am I trying to sow as much hatred as I can about the evil ___________s to wake people up to the fact they are scum?"

Who can afford one of these fancy phones?

Why would you want to pay so much for a stinkin' phone?

What "features" are there on an expensive iphone that justify the outrageous price?

"Your little bell and whistle machines will be the death of you." ~reverandrandy

reply to post by redbarron626


Perhaps you should remove your head from your rear end and understand that at no point in my OP did I indicate that I hate the iPhone. I am merely advocating for the simple cell phones to come back. By the way, some of your posts could be deemed as whiny, so check yourself sir.

Originally posted by DragonRain311
"Look at me, I am part of a group that spent $900 to be cool"

The irony being, of course, that everyone is too busy looking at their iphones to notice how cool you are.

Everything you say here, while not wrong, can be said of just about any other everyday item to some extent.
I mean, did refrigerators signal the end of individuality? Everybody's got one.
How about pants?

I'm not mocking or anything. Just pointing out that this is not a new thing.

That being said, it is getting hard to tell people apart when everybody's head is bowed, staring at their damn phone.

Originally posted by DragonRain311


The bottom line is, those who walk among us who do not have smartphones and will fight to the death to not have one, are the coolest, most independent people I know.
.......................
So, what say you ATS? End of Individuality? Or Beginning of Zombification?

Well, I am 43 and don't have a cell phone at all.
Yes, I am cool, I resist.

I look around and all I see is young people mentally plugged into these things, hanging with their friends while they are texting with other people, walking and texting or doing whatever, on the phone.
To me, it looks like some sort of mind control zombie-fication process. There once was a time when you saw someone talking to themselves walking down the street, you thought it was funny, now one assumes they are on the phone!
I see kids plugged into the electronic world and unplugged from real life, it just seems so ...um....like walking off a plank into a giant meat grinder?

I don't want a cell phone, I don't want to always be accessible, but I am smart enough to realize that soon a person may not even be able to function without a cellphone, heck, they are already removing pay phones from all over, and they have apps that may be indispensable for this or that, whatever they are, but may require the holdouts to feel the need to get a 'personal communicator device' sometime soon.
Sometime soon because when these guys make these phones important to everyday reality enough, they increase their fat profits into the realm of the cell phone holdouts.

I feel the 'pressure' starting to get one if ever so slight.
I was told by an employment counsellor that a smartphone can really help me manage my ADD and can support my poor short term memory, help me be more organised, be available to job calls all the time, and to keep track of tasks.
Yeah, for me it's starting, it won't be a matter of choice weather or not to get a smartphone, but when will I feel the need to cave in and get one.
So far so good! I don't have one.

smart phones(samsung galaxy, droid, iphone etc) are indoctrination memetic deploying and surveillance devices that cloak true reality so the powers that be can remain "hidden" and "seen" in the same moment.
Temporal Displacement Device of sorts.... .


Cell
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life.[1] Organisms can be classified as unicellular (consisting of a single cell; including most bacteria) or multicellular (including plants and animals). Humans contain about 10 trillion (1013) cells. Most plant and animal cells are between 1 and 100 µm and therefore are visible only under the microscope.[2]

The cell was discovered by Robert Hooke in 1665. The cell theory, first developed in 1839 by Matthias Jakob Schleiden and Theodor Schwann, states that all organisms are composed of one or more cells, that all cells come from preexisting cells, that vital functions of an organism occur within cells, and that all cells contain the hereditary information necessary for regulating cell functions and for transmitting information to the next generation of cells

Phone
The telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other.



Consider yourselves already invaded.

reply to post by DragonRain311


I just got my new cell as the other bit the dust in a pool.

Even though the salesman pressured me with all the smartphone tech, I told him I wanted another clamshell.

He looked at me as if I was a slow child.

Why? It's a smartphone!

Exactly my point. It's a phone...period. And that is all I use it as. To communicate, by voice. I ignore texts and refuse to respond to them. If you want to communicate with me, then give me a $#%& CALL!

reply to post by superluminal11


A very thorough and detailed response. I must say, I never really made the connection before.

Originally posted by subject x

Originally posted by DragonRain311
"Look at me, I am part of a group that spent $900 to be cool"

The irony being, of course, that everyone is too busy looking at their iphones to notice how cool you are.

I watched a girl rear end another car the other day while waiting to cross the street. Yep, she was texting.

Of course she denied it.

I guess she was to busy being cool to pay attention to the road.

Originally posted by DragonRain311
reply to post by eNumbra

 

If you are going to criticize my thread, at least make an effort to ensure your spell check is on before posting. Miniature is how the word is spelled. There are also a couple more paragraphs than ten there sir.

Spelling nazi's generally resort to that when they don't have much of a point, and well... he kind of has one, and you could have been more succinct. Ten (sorry ten+) paragraphs to largely say something that would take a sentence (and has been said so much it is a cliche) was a little excessive.

I think that the technology is at an awkward phase to be sure, and that is certainly a valid criticism; and... the iphone is definitely a manifestation of that, but I don't know that I would classify the iphone as a temporary popular culture manifestation for the sake of it. It has a purpose. I like the interface, and I don't really care if people like my phone. I like it, good enough for me, and most of the grown ups that I know feel that way about their phone. Who thinks it is cool isn't really a factor. It may certainly become obsolete soon enough, but that is the bell curve on the technology, not really a social status motivation.

I like the iPhone being around....it always makes me smile when i see someone drop theirs on the pub floor and smash the screen, then i take out my ten year old tank of an embarrassing phone and drop it on the floor to show them how indestructible it is.

It makes me smile to see people queuing for days with more camping gear than if i was going to bug out.

Then again, we all buy things that others wouldn't spend their money on, so i won't moan.....just smile.

CX.

People make their own choice to buy one or not, be it through ignorance or wilfully.

No one is forcing them to do it.

I'm in my early thirties and do not have an iPhone. In fact, I don't have internet or texting on my cell phone* -- my feeling is that I have access to the internet at home and at work, where I spend the bulk of my day. So, when I'm out and about, I really don't need to be a slave to technology. It's nice to enjoy being outside and interacting with people, you know?

*The only reason I have a cell phone at all is because I'm semi-disabled. I need to have a way to call for help in case I have an emergency, and in fact it's totally saved me a few times in recent years. That said, I have a very basic phone with voice calling only for this purpose.