Something else I thought about in last weeks' reading was how technology affects one's social status. We discussed how social status affects access to technology-- poorer people have to rely on libraries, for instance, and of course some parts of the world do not even have that kind of community access available (it's probably a low priority, since those same parts of the world frequently also do not have community access to clean water).
But I'm currently thinking about the other way around. It's a basic expectation now for jobs or just for life that everyone has basic competency in Internet use, email, Microsoft Office, etc. (About 10 years ago, I had "familiar with Microsoft Office" on my resume. Not anymore-- now a potential employer would be quite shocked if I weren't familiar with it.) No, the question now is how one does it. Are you a Mac or a PC? iPhone or Blackberry? Foursquare or Gowalla?
From my own experience, it seems that the more affluent segments of society have so many signs of social status (car, house, clothes, jewelry, etc) that a phone or computer is just one more thing. Friends may engage in an argument over which is better, but it doesn't change where you are in your circle that much. For those who are on the lower end of the economic scale, however, the kind of phone you carry becomes a lot more important, since clothes come from Goodwill and cars are old and ugly, if the low-income person has one at all. But a phone with all the bells and whistles, and better yet, one that's decorated up, seems to serve the same purpose as driving a flashy car would do in a different neighborhood.
I first noticed this when I lived in Britain in a low-income area, but for the longest time I thought it was my imagination, until other Americans living in Britain began making similar comments. So I went directly to the source-- my British friends-- and asked. Yes, I was assured, what kind of phone they carry is a sign of how much money they have. (It's possible this has changed now, but since they're in the same recession as we are, I kind of doubt it.) And now that I'm living in a low-income part of Austin, I'm seeing the same kind of thing again-- many of my neighbors have cool, flashy phones, even if they wear older clothes or don't own a car.
One other thing I've noticed (and this is more in the realm of an annoyance at general snobbishness than anything else) is the tendency of the better-off to look down on poorer people because they own a phone. (I know not everyone acts this way, but I've heard it enough times to think it's common enough to merit discussion.) "He can't be that poor if he has a cell phone," someone will say, or "Maybe if she didn't have a cell phone payment, she could afford (insert deficiency here)," or even, "Poor people have no sense of priorities; they'll get a phone before they get a car." (Guilty, thank you very much!)
On the one hand, this attitude may just be a failure to think things through: How can someone get a job to stop being so poor if he/she doesn't have a phone number? Answer: They can't. And I think this minor detail tends to be forgotten by those who would just complain and look no further. But another reason is that the wealthy don't realize that poorer people crave the same kind of status symbols as the wealthier classes do, and will spend possibly more than necessary to have at least something that is nice-- in this case, the phone.
So, that's just something technology-related that I've noticed. Has anyone else seen the same thing?
You bring up some very interesting points here. We have been discussing the new digital divide that exists for people who subscribe to personalized information on the web, but what about the divide that exists between people who use technology and people who have no access to it? There are divides within the online community, and there are divides between the online community and the offline community who has no access to the internet.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post and great thoughts.
I have noticed this same phenomenon to an extent. Years ago, owning a personal computer was a sure sign of wealth. Now, even many people considered lower-middle class own computers and cell phones. These days, since technology has become more mainstream and less expensive, it is no longer seen as a social status icon to the middle and upper class. The focus on status has now shifted to the lower class. Poor people with fancy phones feel like they fit in with the wealthier groups now, while the sentiments of the wealthier groups are mixed. Some of them don't see phones or computers as status symbols because they're so widespread, while other wealthier people do as you said in your post: look down on poor people who foolishly invest their money on status symbols of the wealthy.
ReplyDeleteSo I would have to agree with your argument that expectations have increased in the wealthier groups in society with regards to technology.
You bring up a good point about the snobbish attitudes. When I volunteered at the computer lab down at ARCH (homeless shelter downtown), we often had to put the homeless shelter's phone number on people's resumes because they didn't have a phone. It's not the most efficient thing to do when you're trying to get people into jobs and homes. Ah.... status symbols: "Look at me! I can afford expensive $#4@"
ReplyDeleteSO true about the the priorities of "poor" people. It's so weird how because of technology, we are now, in a way, forced to purchase things that would be considered a luxury in the past, which are now necessities. My mother would've never thought that I needed a cell phone, until the 2000s
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. Your experience in Britain also extends to Third World, Latin countries. It has been my experience in Mexico, at least, that simply owning any technological item is an icon of social status. It's interesting how the levels of each icon differs between counties, though. Like you mentioned, in the US we have the privilege of asking "Are you a Mac or a PC?" In countries like Mexico, for example, the question is more along the lines of "Do you even have a cell phone?"
ReplyDeleteI definitely share your distaste for snobbery. It reminds me of the 1950s where people became absorbed in keeping up with the Joneses. When you don't have a phone, you're happy to have any cellphone. But if you already have a cellphone, you're dissatisfied because you don't have an iPhone. I think same goes for social views of technology. When you're a Mac (not a PC), you might feel the urge to add to your Apple collection just for the status it grants you, disregarding whether or not those products are even necessary (like this lady: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebeautyisinthedetail/5317208215/) . Does that woman really NEED an iMac, Macbook, iPad and iPhone, or is she just wasting her money to be part of the hip, trendy crowd of Mac geeks? Probably the latter.
ReplyDelete@Blake: Kind of like the old digital divide, I guess. And that segment divides even further, I think: Those who could use the internet, but choose not to (I'm thinking mostly of the elderly who have declared themselves too old to learn, or people who want to stay off the grid), and those who want to use the internet, but can't because of lack of access. It's interesting to consider the differences in those groups, too.
ReplyDelete@Anthony: There is that perception across social classes, certainly. But I wonder if it's more important to appear up-to-date or whatever to your own group, and what the other group thinks is irrelevant?
@Chinchin: I've heard that several times about homeless people trying to get into jobs/homes-- they'll use the resources they have, usually someone else's phone #/address (like a shelter), but then potential employers or housing get turned off when they realize where the number comes from. It's like the cycle of needing credit to get credit-- you need a phone to get a phone, as it were.
@RVL: My Grandma is still not convinced that I should have one! ;) She just about passed out when my parents cancelled their home phone in favor of cell phones instead.
@Anairis: That's really interesting. I wouldn't call it "sad" that each level of economic status has its own standards of what is an icon and what is not, but it is strange, when I think about it from a "why do we do this" point of view, that we all find ways to have standing in our communities.
@Goli: Oh, my. Not just her... did you see the comment with four images displaying the other user's collection of Macs? I have a saying for that, but it isn't very nice. What happened to collecting stamps? ;)
This was an interesting post. I think what you said about rich people looking down on people they think are poor for having cell phones was right on the beam. I have also personally noticed, though, that the same people that criticize so-called poor people for having a cell phone will then go on to insult the phone for not being nice enough. My cousin is a rich little snob and I have witnessed (to my great embarassment) him doing this countless times.
ReplyDelete