Assignment 1-4-3

          There are several theories that apply to the iPhone as a popular culture topic.  One example of a stereotype is that it is a hipster phone for trendy individuals.  Another example is one from a news report that stated that “iPhone/iOS users are more likely liberal, outgoing city-dwellers who make more money, take more vacations and enjoy the finer things in life” (news.yahoo.com).  An example of a ritual is that people will wait in line for hours or days to be one of the first to own the newest and latest version of the iPhone.

          These theories describe the iPhone because due to its popularity and ever changing applications the iPhone continues to be the most desired smart phone in the world.  According to xcubelabs.com for iOS gamers the iPhone is used for 14.7 hours while the Android is only used for 9.3 hours and the BlackBerry for 4.5 hours.  Also, “unlike other smartphones, there's really just one iPhone, though older versions of the same phone do exist. Apple is also on-point about keeping its devices up to speed on the same software, so it's way less confusing across the board than Android” (www.usatoday.com).  It remains to be the most popular smart phone on the market today.

          The iPhone is a cultural icon because people gravitate towards this smart phone to be trendy and up to date with technology.  This has caused me to gain insights about the theories applied to popular cultural topic the iPhone.  As long as Apple can continue to improve their technology to challenge the desires of individuals it seems as if they will continue to remain the number one selling smart phone in the market today.

                                                              References
Assignment 1-4-2. Franklin University. Humanities 240.
Browne, R. B. (2005). Profiles of popular culture: A reader. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin press. ISBN: 0-87972-869-8.
Petracca, Michael and Sorapure, Madeleine (2012) Common Culture: Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:  Pearson. ISBN: 0-205-17178-8.
http://news.yahoo.com/android-iphone-user-stereotypes-revealed-181805502.html. Retrieved 5/30/12.
http://www.xcubelabs.com/smartphone-mobile-app-usage.php. Retrieved 5/31/12.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-03-03/apple-iphone-android-smartphone/53334436/1 Retrieved 5/31/12.

Assignment 1-4-2

            The iPhone is the greatest smart phone device out there because of the marketing campaigns, creativity with the device and user friendly features.  Some popular beliefs of the iPhone, are Siri is an intelligent assistant that you can ask to help you get things done.  Also, there is an iSight camera which might be the best camera thus far on a phone, HD video recording properties in 1080p, iOS which brings an additional over 200 features to the newest iPhone 4S.  There is also the new feature of FaceTime, which give you the ability to see the person in real time who you are talking to.  Apple has also added a retina feature which allows the user to magnify the items they are reading for an easier viewing.  Finally, iCloud is an easy feature that allows you to manage all of your stuff because it will manage it for you by storing your music, photos, applications, mail, contacts, documents and all of the other things you have stored on your iPhone.

Myths of the iPhone are that the screen scratches readily.  This myth was busted by Myth Busters as they stated “the current iPhone screen is made of Gorilla Glass, a chemically strengthened piece of glass that is 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic” (BusinessInsider).  Another myth of not being able to print from the iPhone has been busted.  Business Insider stated that through the addition of apps you can print over wi-fi and have been able to for some time now.  It is through an app called AirPrint and was built into the new iOS update (BusinessInsider). 

Icons of the iPhone are apps or applications, the Apple logo and Steve Jobs.  In today’s society when you mention an iPhone almost everyone knows about some of the apps on the device.  They are displayed on commercials, magazine articles, newspapers, and internet among many more.  Also, the Apple logo is a huge icon for the iPhone, especially since it is on the back of the device, almost everyone could recognize it.  Finally, Steve Jobs was the creative mind that developed Apple devices and is linked to the iPhone and the continued development with the smart phone as the fifth generation model has already been created since the first model was sold in 2003.

While the iPhone was not the first smart phone developed it is one of the easiest to use which has increased its popularity and keep it in the number one position for use.  Its diversity and adaptability set it apart as a cultural icon.  Finally, people don’t refer to other smart phones like the Droid and Blackberry as smart phones, they refer to them as iPhones.

References

Assignment 1-4-2. Franklin University. Humanities 240.

Browne, R. B. (2005). Profiles of popular culture: A reader. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin press. ISBN: 0-87972-869-8.
http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-myths-2011-6#myth-the-iphone-screen-scratches-easily-3

 Petracca, Michael and Sorapure, Madeleine (2012) Common Culture: Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:  Pearson. ISBN: 0-205-17178-8.

Assignment 2-1

            The three contemporary icons that I chose are Sesame Street, Steve Jobs and the internet.

            Sesame Street is a childhood favorite of most children.  There have lovable characters including Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie, Count, Oscar, Grover, Zoe, Elmo, Snuffy, and Baby Bear among others.  On this show they play games to engage the children with fun educational activities which provide many children a helpful step up at an early start to learning.  I chose Sesame Street for one of my icons because I remember the characters, some of the songs and watching the TV show while I was a young child.  To me Sesame Street is an icon that provides children an opportunity to watch TV while learning and developing.  Finally, the show has been running since it first aired in 1969.  Most children shows run for a decade or so and since Sesame Street has been aired for forty-three years this has a huge statement in the power of their educational product for children.

Steve Jobs was a visionary who founded many of the products that we see and use today.  His ideas changed technologies abilities to expand beyond where some thought possible in the past.  His visions allowed us to have items such as the iPod, iPhone, Mac, iPad, Mac Book and Desktop icon.  Since I use a large quantity of these products his visions have had a large impact on my life with the ability to travel and have access to the internet, email, phone, music and more all in one device.

The Internet was created while I was still a youngster.  I have seen and used it and watched it grow to the advanced icon that it is today.  It has allowed us to communicate, research, view and read news, email, blog, among others.  To me the Internet provides the ability to have information readily available to you wherever you may travel.  It also provides me the ability to send information to others at a rapid pace.  Finally, I believe without the use of the internet I would not be able to perform as many tasks as quickly as I can like this course through Franklin University and their online program.

Assignment 1-2

1) What is popular culture, and what does it mean to you?
- Popular culture is activities within cultures or products that reflect or are aimed at the popularity of large quantities of people. To me this means that individual ideas are set in motion that are believed to appeal to a mass of people to encourage those individuals to purchase these products.

2) Why is an understanding of popular culture relevant to you in a business environment and in your present and future career?
- An understanding of popular culture is relevant to myself and business environment because without knowledge of why people follow or are interested in a trend you could lose out on possibilities for your own development and for your company. Also, I believe that in a work environment you need to understand popular culture for future development and growth of the company. I believe that if you understand how to encourage people to want an item than you can use that knowledge to the companies benefit for possible increased growth and revenue.

3) What would you consider to be an example of a pop culture artifact? And why would you choose it?
- I believe that the i-phone is an example of a pop culture artifact because technology is a huge part of society today. In general, today's society uses technology on a daily basis and without it some would say they wouldn't know how to function. Also, because of the development of the i-phone the Internet and email is now readily available at your fingertips. Being in the i-y generation technology is a big part of our lives. Children are growing up knowing how to use technology and this trend started because of the availability to have technology at our fingertips.



http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&biw=1424&bih=632&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=CM6Ga5amZHp9eM:&imgrefurl=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/09/12/apple_set_to_build_30m_iphone_5_units_with_512mb_ram_improved_antenna.html&docid=LdxpYVm-AyQfJM&imgurl=http://photos.appleinsider.com/iphon4-100607-1.jpg&w=800&h=508&ei=7PyyT6e8J6TM6QGhtIG8CQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=787&vpy=339&dur=1630&hovh=179&hovw=282&tx=129&ty=136&sig=112075259621250380857&page=1&tbnh=136&tbnw=190&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:0,i:185