Written Analysis 2

A popular ritual that I see related to Android is more based on the devices they are installed on. Cell phone companies have created a ritual that revolves around getting a new phone every two years. I have participated in this ritual myself as after nearly two years my phone usually starts acting up or the battery life isn’t what it used to be. I have known people who will participate in this ritual nearly every six months since they are the type of person that must have the latest, greatest, and coolest gadget on the market. The New Every Two plan that previously existed for Verizon Wireless has been replaced by a program that allows for discount pricing when approaching two years.

I think a big stereotype that is placed on customers by cell phone providers include thinking that everyone is going to want the latest and greatest of these phones with Android and all these new features that let you search the web and have access to nearly unlimited amounts of information and applications. There may be groups of people that think this but to stereotype the broad range of people who are a wireless customer is wrong in many ways. There are still so many people that just want a plain phone and if it has a few nice features, that’s ok too.

Written Analysis 1

The popular culture icon I have chosen to write about is the Android operating system. The Android system can be found on many devices. These devices can include phones, tablets, and small laptops, or netbooks as they are often referred to.

 The popular belief is that the Android operating system is only found on phones. Smartphones are indeed the leading first adopters of Android.  The widespread use is spreading to more types of smartphones making Android a top contender for smart phones. While Android is found on many phones, it also can be found on tablets.  Newer versions of Android are continuing to provide better functionality for tablets. Android has been the eye of newer devices including TVs, portable media players, watches, radios, and even refrigerators (Petrovan, 2012).

 The increase in users has surely raised the pop culture status of Android. In May of 2012 it was released that Android has been installed on 331 million handheld devices that have been activated in from January to March 2012. That is up from 250 million in the previous quarter. The global market share for Android is also reported at 59% (“Android Smartphone Activation”, 2012). These numbers show that Android is the leading mobile operating system over the Apple iPhone, and the Windows mobile operating system and its presence will continue to grow in future devices.

             

References

Android Smartphone Activations Reached 331 Million in Q1’2012 Reveals New Device Tracking Database form Signals and Systems Telecom. (2012, May 16). Retrieved August 4, 2012, from http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/5/prweb9514037.htm

Petrovan, B. (2012). Android Everywhere: 10 Types of Devices That Android is Making Better. Retrieved August 4, 2012 from http://www.androidauthority.com/android-everywhere-10-types-of-devices-that-android-is-making-better-57012/

Icon Analysis

The three contemporary icons I have chosen are Peanuts, Microsoft, and Sony.  I chose these icons because they are something that is recognizable by everyone and has had a significant effect on pop culture. 

Everyone knows what Peanuts is even if you don’t think you do. The Peanuts I’m referring to is the characters from the comic strip including Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang. Peanuts is the most popular comic strip and the holiday TV specials are just as recognizable. Microsoft, my next chosen icon, is very recognizable too. The technology age has grown over the past 20 years and Microsoft’s Windows is one of the most well-known products. Sony is my other icon. Sony is the maker of several types of technologies. From TVs to computers to stereos, Sony is a well-known product by many.

 

The Peanuts comic strips are something I have always enjoyed reading from a young age. My mother was also a fan so it was something we both had in common and could talk about. I grew up in the country with no cable TV with little cartoons or kid programming to watch. To have a Peanuts special come on during the week was often a treat to sit and watch. Microsoft has been around in my life for several years as well. From the time I had my first computer around 15 years old, Microsoft has been a software product that has been on my computer ever since. I kind of feel I have grown with Microsoft from early versions of Microsoft DOS, up to the now Windows 7. Sony is a brand I often thought I wanted in my teenage years. Sony often represented quality and value. While I don’t often feel that way so much now as an adult, Sony still represents quality and value and offer a large variety of consumer electronics.

What Does Popular Culture Mean to Me?

Pop culture can be anything that is trending and mainstream in the world. It can be different things in different regions and may not be the same things for very long. Pop culture can change every day and quickly fade or stay for a while.  To be honest, pop culture means a mixed variety of things to me.  When I think of pop culture I think of big corporations and people sitting around a table trying to come up with the next big thing.  I think of them sitting and trying to discuss what piece of garbage they can throw out into the world to see if they can brainwash people into thinking it’s the coolest thing ever and they must have it.  Millions of dollars are thrown around for production and marketing campaigns to get the word out. I think a lot of people buy into these ideas and products simply because they think it is the popular thing to do. While not all cases are like this, there are some great examples of pop culture icons. I tend to think that best pop culture can happen naturally without influence of money and or greed.

Understanding popular culture is important for all businesses.  Keeping up with popular trends is vital for businesses to continue to appeal to their customer base. If your competitors are out there doing it and it’s working for them, you better have something similar and/or better. Popular culture is relevant to me in my present job to know what I may need to know for my future career.  I plan on being a software developer and in the world of software things are changing all the time. An example would be mobile applications or “apps” as they are commonly referred to. The app is a pop culture icon that is gaining popularity with smart phones and portable devices.  As stated above, if your competitors are releasing an app, then chances are your company should be planning on releasing one too.

There can be many different types of artifacts. My pop culture artifact is the internet.  The internet is a great choice as an artifact because it in itself can host a variety or artifacts. You may remember a time when people would go into chat rooms and chat with multiple people. In my experience over the years, that tended to drift into people using instant messengers. Now people may tend to use Facebook to communicate with new people, friends and family. Other pop culture artifacts derived from the internet include EBay, Amazon, Google, MySpace, Twitter, and Netflix. Netflix you can almost list twice as they were one of the first to offer DVD rentals via their website, and to offer streaming of movies and TV episodes through their website. These are just a few listed as there are many more, and will be many more to come over the years.