Month: April 1997

Fashionably in Touch

(This article was co-written with Victoria Greenhalgh on April 19th, 1997 for publication in Mobile Latino America magazine, a UK magazine covering mobile phones in South America.)

It is readily apparent that cellular communications have become much more than a convenience to those who have them. Beyond the ability to remain “in touch” at any time of the day, anywhere you are ( within the limits of the cellular coverage areas, of course ), there lies the world of fashion and status. More and more we can see that mobile communication devices are seen as a status symbol. Owning a pager, cellular telephone or a personal digital assistant with communications features is a way to separate the “haves” from the “have-nots.” It has now reached the level where, whether in business or in the world of the fashionably hip, not having a cellular phone is akin to not existing at all.

This is particularly so in those areas where mobile phones are a recent addition to society. In Indonesia, ladies out shopping have their maids call them every fifteen minutes, thus making them look important in the eyes of those around them as they hunt for bargains. Latin America is certainly not immune to the image boosting effect that posession of cellular phones can provide. During a recent police campaign in Chile against people using cellular phones while driving, over one third of those pulled over were using fake plastic phones to appear “important.” With increasing frequency, tables in cafes and night clubs are littered with mobile phones, the owners of which hardly speak to each other as they eagerly await the next call. How they can hear them ringing or even talk when they are in a loud, thumping night club is beyond the point. Simply having the devices on display is enough.

As a recent adopter of cellular communications, the Latin American market has seen its share of pagers and phones that, in the USA, Europe or Australia, would be seen as hopelessly out of date. The late entry of cellular communications in this area has allowed manufacturers to unload their old analogue systems that were no longer selling in other markets. While cellular phone companies in the United States were, towards the end of the analogue reign, giving away Motorola TAC II’s to all people who signed on, this has only recently started happening in Latin America. This is an indication that a transition is beginning here. Merely having a cellular telephone is no longer enough in the fashionable scene. When anyone on the street has the chance to get a mobile phone bundled with their account, those who want to differentiate themselves from the crowd have to go to the next level. Naturally, many start to ask themselves what comes next after mere possession?

Beyond having a cellular phone comes the two part thrust of style and technology. When everyone has a cellular phone ( well, everyone worth knowing, at least ), status is defined by those who have the most recent model, the best looking or most limited production unit or, in a direct challenge to the sexual environment, the smallest. In France, the leading fashion designers were creating limited edition mobile phones proudly displaying their names. While these were only intended for the Paris metropolitan area, similar concepts are certainly occuring here in Latin America. It is not uncommon for people to be able to purchase devices in many colours, allowing the sartorially concious to ensure that their entire outfit is co-ordinated, right down to the piece of technology continuously on their ear. Furthermore, customised accessories such as carry cases can be obtained to enhance the visual aspects of the humble phone.

For those who are not concerned with the fashion aspect, each year brings new products that offer more features, better reliability, longer battery lives and more compact cases. Having the latest digital phone that, in addition to simply letting you talk, can store your faxes, receive your pager messages and (maybe one day) help program your VCR, all while fitting comfortably inside your shirt pocket, can only help one’s status in the business world.

In some Latin American countries there is a definite drive towards modernism and keeping up with the cutting edge as defined by the USA and Europe. This is dramatically driving the fashion and status aspects of mobile communications ever upward. No longer is it just a nice house and good car that indicate when you’ve “made it” here, it is ensuring that in addition to having the latest, highest-tech and sexiest unit, so too do the rest of your family. In most other countries where cellular phone useage is taken for granted, people are considerate enough to turn their equipment off during concerts, recitals and speaches. In Latin America, the status symbol feeling is still quite active and to be demonstrated to everyone around whenever possible. At a recent poetry session in Buenos Aires, the dramatic recital of a pained monologue on the solitude of modern life was interrupted by the shrill cries of a mobile phone, demanding the attention not only of its owner, but of everyone present. It would appear that while the transition from mere possession to having the best available is occurring here, it may be some time before it is completed.

Wrong metaphors can lead you astray

(This article was first published in the Buenos Aires Herald on April 3rd, 1997. Also printed in the Personal Computer Club of Torronto‘s “read.me” publication (September 1997).

The phrase “Information Super Highway” is currently used to describe the Internet of the future. Some would try to say it represents the Internet of today. They are usually government officials, sales people and those who haven’t tried to use it recently.

As any person who has used the Internet for more than 30 seconds could tell you, this description simply is not valid, particularly if the user is not located in the United States. Those of us here in Argentina attempting to obtain information and programs from the USA can readily agree with the concept of “The World Wide Wait.”

Today, the Internet is more of an “Information Dirt Road,” complete with bumps, potholes and roadkill. To continue with the metaphor of a road, today’s Internet is well described by a joke that has been circulating for some time:

“The Internet is a highway hundreds of lanes wide with each intersection containing many on ramps but no signs. If you want to find your way, you have to yell out the window at a passing truck and ask for directions. Bridges and overpasses are privately owned and the laws are vague and always changing. There is no highway patrol or other law enforcement operations, just some “rent-a-cops” on bicycles with broken whistles. Vigilante groups with 500 members and nuclear weapons enforce their own concept of what is right. Users of some lanes are allowed to vote on the creation of laws while other lanes are left as anarchic wastes where users shoot first and ask questions later. Some vehicles have lawnmower engines and are only capable of crawling while others burn high-octane fuels and pass by at twice the speed of sound with the engine only idling. There are no license plates and vehicles are painted like World War II bombers with huge teeth or vampire eagles. Bumper mounted machine guns and anti-aircraft missile batteries are standard equipment for defense from abuse, but what constitutes abuse is up to the person holding the trigger.”

While this makes for amusing reading and reminds many people of their Internet experiences, it is still linked to an incorrect metaphor. Consider any transport structure based around a Super Highway. To start with, you cannot walk, ride a bicycle or drive a tractor on a Super Highway. You must follow certain laws about the direction travelled, the speed you move at, the signals you must give before changing lanes, etc. You often must pay tolls and, of course, you pay many taxes for the vehicle you use, the fuel that keeps it going and so on. You cannot build a road yourself, you must rely on the government to create it. This implies that the government determines where the road goes and where it lets you get on and off. Any town or city not serviced by a set of on and off ramps is bypassed, ignored by the travellers as they whiz by. Users must rely on the government to determine what is safe and what is dangerous, protecting them with laws and then providing the resources to enforce them.

If the metaphor of the Internet as a Super Highway continues, it will be only natural that taxes will be imposed, the types of devices that can be used on it regulated plus laws and limits established with enforcers to ensure they are followed. Additionally, the government will determine where the Internet goes and what places it can access. They will determine for the “protection” of the users what is safe and what is dangerous. Is this truly what we require from a source of information, education, entertainment and communication?

A more accurate metaphor for the Internet would be “The Information Game Reserve.” In this picture of the Internet, all information and users are “out there.” You can walk, ride, drive or fly to where you want go. Information is all around you and, if you sit still, you can watch the animals passing by. Guide services are available to point the way and assist the people who are making their first expeditions. There are lions hunting zebras and occasionally poachers hunting everything. Eventually, the zebras learn to avoid the lions and game wardens deter the poachers. Occasionally, the lions deter the poachers as well.

In this view of the Internet, information is not selected, filtered and then fed to users at high speeds like a new form of television. Destinations are not imposed by ruling bodies but are allowed to establish themselves in their own space and be found by those who are interested in them. Information is made available for users to find as they require, without censorship or control. This means the good is mixed with the bad and it is up to the user to determine what is true and what is false, not a government working like a nanny for “the greater good.”

Perhaps if more people describe the Internet with this metaphor, users will realise that the Internet is not just some grand expansion of television, but rather a place where you actively participate. Users can learn to think for themselves and ask questions without relying on the government to “protect” them. Maybe this is why the government prefers the “Super Highway” metaphor where information is controlled and piped to the passive masses rather than the “Game Reserve” where users seek answers to their questions and learn to determine what is wrong and what is right for themselves.