Global Consumer Culture COASE104 Section 1053 Assignment TWO

Kirkpatrick Sale describes the abundance of technology in our lives as "a velvet-lined trap, with its VCR’s and microwaves and wordprocessors, but a terrible snare and delusion nonetheless." This assignment is aimed at helping you to think about the role technology plays in our daily social lives, and how different appliances and accessories shape our behaviour and expectations. The goal is to begin to understand how much our lives are affected by the objects, which fill them.

STEP ONE:

Choose three of the items from the list below:

Refrigerator Alarm Clock VCR
Answering Machine Microwave Personal Walkman
Automobile Laptop Computer Wall-jack Telephone
Cell Telephone Pager Automatic Bank Teller Machines
Calculator Cash Register Email

STEP TWO:

For each item you have chosen, state its daily uses in your life. What does it do? What do you use it for? What kinds of activities does it make possible? Many of these items are described as ‘convenient.’ Explain what tasks these technologies make simple, or quick, and reasons for wanting these tasks to be done ‘conveniently.’

STEP THREE:

Imagine what your life would be like if each object you have chosen was suddenly missing from the world around you. Could you get the same things done? How? For example, how or what would you eat without a refrigerator? How would your shopping be different? How would purchases be made if there were no cash registers? How would you communicate with your friends without a telephone or email? How would you pay your bills?

STEP FOUR:

Consider the advantages of not having each item. Come to a conclusion about how you feel about these technologies. Could you do without them? Would you want to? Would you rather not? For example, if you did not have a microwave, you might spend time cooking with your friends and learn something about food preparation; but you might also lose valuable study time. Without a telephone, you might have to walk to your friend’s house to leave a note, and lose time that you could use for something else; but you might get to know the lady who walks her dog past your house every day. If there were no refrigerators, everyone would eat differently, and would get a feeling for the seasons. Remember that these objects are not really indispensable, and be creative in thinking about what the advantages of less technology might be. Remember that you can always change your mind as the semester goes along.

STEP ONE: Below are some categories of objects. Choose two from each set.

GIFTS:

2. something used/secondhand that someone you know used, and then gave to you.
3. something used/secondhand that someone bought and gave to you.

COMMODITIES:

1. something new that you bought for yourself with your own money.

2. something used that you bought for yourself with your own money.
3. something new or used that you bought for yourself with money that was given to you.
4. something new or used that you bought for yourself with money that you have borrowed.

STEP TWO:

Describe each object you have chosen, and state the category in which it fits. Next, tell its life history. Where was it made? Who made it? What journey did it take to reach you? What did it mean to the people who had it before you? How many people have had it in their lives before you? You will find, for some of the objects you have chosen, that you don’t know the answer to some of these questions. This is important. State the things you do know as well as the things that you can’t find out about the object you have chosen.

In writing the "life history" of the object, explain how you acquired it. Did you purchase it with money given by a relative? Did you save up for it? Is it something that has been in your family for a long time and now belongs to you? Was it handed down to you? If it was bought, explain where the money came from, and explain why it was purchased. If it was a gift, explain who gave it to you, how, and why.

STEP THREE:

Next, think about and discuss how the object connects you to other people. Was it given to you by someone you like/dislike? Do many of your friends have the same kind of item? Does it seem unique? Was it made by people very far away? Was it made, or owned, by someone you know? Explain how the item has had different meanings in the course of its ‘life.’ Here are some examples of the kinds of stories you might tell us about your chosen objects: "I worked all summer and bought this bicycle for myself because I always had hand-me-down bicycles from my siblings. This bicycle is a sign of my independence from my family and my ability to earn money. Because I bought it in a store, I can’t know who made it, but I do know that it was made in England.." Or, "My best friend’s mother gave me this basketball, which she used when she was a famous basketball star. She knows that I love basketball, too, and this ball represents her love for me, and her faith that I will also become a great woman player. When she had the ball, it was a basic item in her life. She depended on it and used it every day for many years. Later, when she stopped playing basketball, she forgot about it. Then one day she found it while housecleaning, and the ball became a memento of her past. Now that I own it, it means a great deal to me. When I see it or use it, I think of...." You can also do this for items that you dislike.

STEP FOUR:

Come to some conclusion about the differences and similarities between commodities and gifts. Do they carry the same kinds of emotional value, and why, or why not? What kinds of social relationships do their life histories teach us about? For example, a coffeepot given to you by your sister, who loves coffee and knows that you hate it, tells us something about your family relationship to your sister. A coffeemaker bought at Target, made in a faraway place, by people you don’t know, tells us something about our economy, and what kinds of global relationships are revealed by our own possessions. Decide what we can learn from looking at the "life histories" of goods, and support your decision with a clear argument. Think hard and be creative. Remember that you can revise your opinion as the semester goes along.