Post written by Marlon Ribunal.
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The latest version of iPhone, promised to be different from any other versions, has been officially unveiled yesterday (June 7, 2010). iPhone is not just about ‘the’ phone. Perhaps Apple was able to create a new subculture on it. It became the gadget of gadgets…an object that everybody wants. iPhone 4 has just come out but I am not getting one. In fact I never have had an iPhone, which is just a matter of principle. Here are some of the reasons why:

It Changes Everything Every Time

The slogan of the unveiled iPhone 4 has it: “This Changes Everything. Again”. What’s so bad about it? Maybe it is not bad at all but there is something wrong in it. As I just said above, Apple has created a subculture.  With these Apple gadgets coming out one version after another and better each time, the subculture that this trend forges corrupts the fundamental values of the society, specially in the aspect of communication. But wait, you may say, is this out of line since communication tools enhance communication rather than corrupt it? Not in this case. The focus is now rapidly shifting from the communication process itself into the tools instead of the other way around. The quality of communication stayed stagnant while the medium improves. This is not something bad, you may say again. Not bad when the subculture is built on the process, and not on the tools.

It Connects Application While People Connection Diminishes

There seems to be an app for everything “to connect” to other people. So and so are just one touch away whenever we want “to communicate” with them. Here is why people-to-people interaction is starting to lose its value: applications on the smart phone, which are “supposed” to enhance the quality of communication, do not actually make us connect with other human beings. Simply because applications do not connect with people! Application connects with other applications. We are creating an artificial world here.

It Promotes Materialism In The Guise Of Convenience

There is an app for simply everything. Some apps are free but most of the cool ones are not. You want to have cooler apps and cooler ways of doing things with the phone? Spend. Spend. Spend. You want to better connect with friends and Family? Spend. Spend. Spend. We’re not patronizing these things for convenience! We’re buying these things because we want them. And these gadget vendors will not stop building the hype that behooves people to buy these shiny tools. They won’t stop vitiating the horizon of human interaction with artificial form of “connection”.

Why all these matter? And why they have something to do with me not liking an iPhone? Perhaps this is irrelevant. For me this is a matter of principle. What do you think?

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