Thursday, January 26, 2012

What's the cost of Hyper Connectivity?

What is the price of hyper connectivity in today’s American society? Let’s say roughly $3,000.

$1,000 for a laptop and minimal software, $400 for a top-shelf smart phone and a fully functional data package, $500 for an iPad or other tablet, $600 for an adequate TV to stay current with news and popular media, and $500 for miscellaneous spending (Cable services, subsrciptions, apps, kindles, etc.). That doesn’t seem that bad does it?

What if the price of digital maximilism is a life-- not an American life but rather a life of a Chinese worker in a factory abroad. A Chinese worker who acquired an outsourced factory job from and American-based manufacturer, for his/her work is cheaper and he/she is less likely to complain about.


We in society have become so consumed with staying connected that we have become ignorant and oblivious to the expenses. The expense is far greater than missing out on a piece of daily solitude or respite that provides a peace of mind.

We have been spoon fed the idea that “digital connectedness is [so] intrinsically good” that we blindly and irrationally act, as children do, to get the newest fastest, and most capable “toy” available. We are not being more connected with this purchases, however. Instead, we are feeding into the iconoclastic view that fueling capitalistic greed and emotional desire is more valuable to our  lives than being at peace or creating a face-to-face verbal relationship. We are becoming spoiled children.

This gluttony to purge our hunger for new technology and new mediums to facilitate a superficial connection is now disguised under the cloak of digital maximalism. According to Powers, “Digital maximalism is clearly a superior way of living.” Is this superioririty worth the unconscious subjectification of others to a state of inferiority?

On January 25, 2012, New York times released a story title, “Human Costs are Built into Apple‘s iPad.” The story explains how two recent explosions in Apple factories abroad killed 4 workers and injured 77 others (some critically). These explosions weren’t unforeseen. Prior to the blasts, a Chinese group titled Students and Scholars against Corporate Misbehavior published an article chronicling the hazardous conditions inside of the plant with the larger, more deadly explosion, Chengdu.



Apple’s capitalistic greed caused it to ignore the conditions in order to produce more and more goods for the consumers. The consumers’ self-aggregated and society influenced “need” to stay current fuels the manufacturers need to carryout swift and unsafe productions, for the manufacturer (in this case Apple) has to keep up with demand it wants to keep business. It is a vicious cycle.

 This recursive process, created by the digital maximalistic lifestyle has monstrous implications on more than the producer and consumer of these goods. It is negatively affecting innocent and hard working Chinese Americans, it is taking away father’s from families, children from their parents, and wives from husbands. Is all this truly worth staying connected? If your answer is yes, you are no longer a person using digital maximalism to your advantage. You have become a slave to the ensuing digital revolution.



Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Obama Vs McLuhan

November 2012 is drawing more and more near. Sweat is accumulating on the brow of President Barack Obama as Mitt Romney and the other Republican candidates present themselves well to the American public in primaries. The incumbency looks has lost clout with the constituency in regards to the upcoming election, for the past four years of the white house has become exclusively ornate with poor economic policies and “deceptions” about taking the troops out of war in the Middle East. Even worse for the incumbency is the trends shown by NY Times in the article, “Poll Sees Shift in Independent Vote, a Hurdle for Obama,” published January 18th. NY Times’ findings show that only 31% of independent voters approve of Obama and his work as a president this year. After running away with the independent vote last election, this lack of support could be detrimental this year. If Romney or any other Republican nominee can convince these voters to support him, Obama would be out of his must lucrative support system.

With the threat of voters jumping off of the Hope bandwagon, it is interesting to see what means the Obama administration will go to in order to re-secure these or other voters. This makes me think of the McLuhan quote that Pico Iyer mentioned. It says, “When things come at your very fast, naturally you lose touch with yourself.” Sure, the election is 10 months away; however, in political time the 10 months is 7 minutes. Obama’s reign as president may soon be over. I hope he doesn’t stoop to going against his principles or the value he stand for just to garner more votes and either neutralize or swing the swing voters back to his side. The Obama administration should not lose focus of how they won in the first place and what defines Obama as a man and/or leader if they care to continue working for the White House for 4 more  years.