The term ‘pop culture’ has different definitions that depend on the context and the person defining the term. According to Tim Delaney, pop culture is generally recognized as the vernacular or people’s culture that predominates in a society at a point in time (P. 1). Other definitions have also described pop culture as the entirety of ideas, attitudes, perspectives, memes, and images as well as other phenomena that an informal consensus prefers within the mainstream of a specific culture. While the term popular culture has been used interchangeably with pop culture and they have often borne overlapping meanings, the term pop culture dates from the late 1950s and belongs to a specific society and historical period. Danesi defines Pop as something that contains qualities of mass appeal, and popular refers to something that has gained popularity not withstanding its style (p. 32).
Other people have also defined pop culture as the loose blend of music books, fashion, and other daily ephemera that contributes to the identity of a society at a specific point in time. According to Michael Chu, popular culture is everywhere; it consists of music, fashion, mass media, internet, and celebrities, and defines how members of a specific society dress, how they interact, how they find entertainment, and how they spend their leisure time (p. 1). There has been a transition of the pop culture from the early sixties when people were accustomed to reading books such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Valley of the Dolls.”
However, times gradually changed from the voluminous books to pocket-sized transistor radios, portable record players, eight-track stereos in cars to colored televisions and high definition television screens. This transformed the pop culture from literary books to music and then video music. Technology has been very critical in helping develop the pop culture: the internet has been used to access videos and music from different artists in the present day society. The most recent technological discovery is the mobile phone, which has been designed into different models with increasing innovation. The Iphone is a special mobile phone technology that has been increasingly selling in the American and international markets and has become a part of popular culture. The Iphone has become a popular culture on the global scale because of its easy accessibility in several ways as will be described in this paper.
Megan O'Neill has discussed in his articles some of the factors that can make a video viral. He describes a “viral video” as one of those buzz words that gets thrown around a lot but nobody is really sure what it means (p. 1). Just like a video is artifact, I consider the Iphone a similar article. The Iphone has also become viral, just like other artifacts. He describes these factors under viewership, parody, buzz, and longevity. Under the viewership subheading, O'Neill quotes Kevin Nalty’s definition of a viral video as being viral according to the number of this the videos garner on YouTube. The latter initially described a viral video as “viral” if it hit a million views” (p. 2), a view that he has constantly updated with the increasing number of hits that videos are garnering on this site. He gives examples of President Obama’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner comedy routine, and ‘Ultimate Dog Tease’, which have hit 7.2 and 10 million views within a short period (p. 2). Other videos also include video of Baby Emerson, Double Rainbow video; and Charlie Schmidt’s Keyboard Cat, which have got close to 20 million hits.
Considering these definitions, the Iphone has garnered more than 300 million likes, surpassing several mobile phone providers, which makes the Iphone even “more than viral.” Buzz also determines the viral artifacts. In this regard, O’Neil explains that for an artifact to be considered viral, the degree of discussion of the artifact online and offline is important. The Iphone products such as the Iphone 5 and six have greatly been discussed both on the internet and on offline media in both the United States and other parts of the world. Another factor that O’Neil discusses is parody; imitation is also one of the best measures of whether or not video has gone viral (p. 7). The Iphone vs. Samsung case is a commonly known case that saw the latter compensates Apple for copying the Iphone 5 (Wingfield, 2012). This is just one of the reported many cases of imitation of the Iphone products. Several Chinese models have been made with resemblance to Iphone products, and with names close to the Iphone products. Finally, longevity also determines a viral artifact, which implies that the artifact is remembered for a long time.
The Iphone products have been used in the United States and other nations of the world for a very long time. The users have posted feedback comments on the social sites of the producers of Iphone giving their recommendations on the product. For sure, the Iphone has been remembered for a very long time and continues to be so.
Having qualified for these factors, the Iphone has raised questions on how it made it to the international markets and technology industry. In “Why Is the iPhone So Popular,” Jason Artman indicates that since its release in 2007, the iPhone has been a massively successful product to the Apple company that has recently reported selling more than 100 million units in the product’s first for years including the massive 18.6 million sold in the first quarter of 2011 (p. 3). Jason Artman indicates that one of the advantages that he supposes the company could have had over the competitors is the fact that it had complete control over the software and hardware, which allowed it to operate in synergy (p. 4). Artman however associated the iPhone’s success in the industry to its large inclusiveness of machinery: the iPhone has the functionality of a portable media player, a mobile phone, and a game console as well as a handheld computer in a single device, which is uncommon with the other mobile phone brands. The physical design, which was originally different from that of the other Smartphones in the market also helped in boosting the popularity of the iPhone. In addition, the dual core A4 processor of the iPhone that runs up to 1 GHz and has integrated 3-D graphics acceleration capabilities, and the large internal storage space alongside other unique features also propelled the iPhone to popularity (p. 4).
While the product can appeal to the buyers, the company also has a responsibility of ensuring that the customers that buy their products are satisfied and invite other customers. In this regard, Apple has been successful in luring potential buyers through the incentives that they provide to the holders of iPhone gadgets. According to Matt Rosoff in his article, “Why the gold iPhone sold out so fast,” he begins with his experience of dropping his iPhone #GS on the sidewalk at a local playground and shattering the glass. After walking into a nearest Apple store, he walked out with a 16GB iPhone 4 (p. 2). Brilliant; this example and testimony from several other clients would definitely add money into your pockets. Unlike other Chinese companies that do not offer such incentives, this and other similar initiatives have helped the company advance its sales in the international market. This can also be considered as one of the many marketing strategies.
One of the most successful multinational corporations, and one that has commanded its industry over the years is Coca Cola, which boasts of great sales courtesy of accurate advertising and other methods of sales promotion. Apple has also adopted great promotional techniques in order to ensure that the iPhone products are recognized in the global market. For instances, iPhone tablets are given to winners in different events worldwide in a bid to popularize new arrivals.
In her article, Tia Ghose why she believes people love or hate apple products, especially the iPhone 5. Just like the others who have discussed this product, she does not forget to mention the sales. Ghose indicates that in 2012, he company sold more than 600 million devices and users sent 800 billion text messages on iPhone, according to a presentation at the Worldwide Developers Conference last year (p. 1). She also indicates the features of the recently released iPhone5s, which has higher and advanced photo filters and a lightning-fast processor as well as a cheaper iPhone 5C hat should be more appealing in emerging markets (p. 2).
This eventually implies that the company is cautious of the market and produces iPhones according to the nature of the target market, which therefore implies inclusivity. She discusses five reasons that she believes to be responsible for the liking or hatred of the iPhones. She discusses these factors under design, limited control, imaged, overpricing, and “the insulated world.” Most people like iPhones for their sleek designs, which conform to Steve Jobs’ quote that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication (qtd. p. 3). The iPhones have touch screens, simple buttons, and sensitive user interfaces that make them easy and simple to use. However, the company exercises control over the iPhone products, which has received criticism from power users who would wish to customize their handsets.
Additionally, it highly controls the specifications for software developers of iPhones, which has also received similar criticism. Ghose also quotes Lynn Khale who says that, “In reality I don't think consumers want as many choices as possible” (qtd. p. 5). The third reason she gives is the image, which has been different form the other players in the market. On the insulated world, Ghose describes Apples’ products compatibility among them, only allowing the sharing of multimedia products within themselves. This bars other users such as Samsung owners to share such items with iPhones. The high prices of iPhones has brought about two effects to the company. While making the products ostentatious and increasing sales, the high prices have also brought about criticism among the low class members of the society. However, the iPhone has been successful and is still promising despite the criticism from different people.
In conclusion, popular cultures are the viral artifacts identified by specific culture that are universally accepted by several cultures. The iPhone has become a popular culture because of the several features that it has as well as its easy accessibility in several ways. The iPhone might continue to overtake the global telecommunication market since the users have identified its acceptability and the producers have maintained to stay above competition.
References:
Delaney, Tim. “Pop culture: An overview.” Philosophynow.org. Philosophy Now, 2007. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
Chu, Michael. “Youthful voice: ‘Pop culture equals globalization.’” Nwasianweekly.com. Northwest Asian Weekly, 26 Aug. 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
O’Neill, Megan. “What makes a video ‘Viral’?” Socialtimes.com. WebMediaBrands Inc., 9 May 2011. Web. 29 Oct. 2012
Wingfield Nick.. Jury Awards $1 Billion to Apple in Samsung Patent Case. The New York Times. Web August 24, 2012
Artman, Jason. Why Is the iPhone So Popular? The Chron. Web January 5, 2012
Rosoff Matt. Why the gold iPhone sold out so fast: It really is about appearances. The InforWorld. Web September 20, 2013.
Ghose Tia. iPhone 5S: Why We Love (and Hate) Apple Products. Live Science. Web September 10, 2013
Danesi, Marcel. Popular Culture: Introductory Perspectives. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012, Print
