If we are what we consume, then what claim does the availability and widespread popularity of the laptop computer make about contemporary American society? Ah, the laptop computer as my choice from the list of products for this assignment was a no brainer for me as it is one of my favorite pieces of technology, next to my iPod.
As a Baby Boomer I can speak to this question and topic from a unique insight. The "laptop" as society has nicknamed the computer, has brought information, communication,and generations together into a neat & tidy package and placed in all into our "laps".
I saw laptops at their newborn stage and watched them grow into what I consider to be young adults at this point in time as they still have some growing to do. In their early years, the laptop would only be used in big business and by what we might consider "geeks" or the really wealthy. Even though it was a personal computer,the laptop was not accessibly to the the average Joe, but the average Joe did know of their existence and was intrigued by the possibilities. Over time they crept into education, small business, as the companies looked at the consumers they could target the product changed to fit that need. The heavy, bulky, laptop with no battery, no flip screen, and high price tag was transformed into a thin, sleek, lightweight, extremely portable, battery driven tool and would become a true personal computer and sort of a second brain in the human body. Laptops can be now found in the average Joe's home and then taking it with him to his school and business!
The laptop allows it's user to sit on their couch, ride a train, bus, or airplane, drink coffee at a cybercafe, all the while traveling the world in a blink of eye, googling a topic of interest, re-connecting with family members across the globe, continue or even start their secondary education via online college, listen to music, watch a movie, create a blog, upload photos and even pay their bills in just one tap on a touchpad. The laptop has consumed the American consumers way of life, just as the introduction of Television has. I believe almost every house in America must have some sort of a TV. Laptops are everywhere, and like TV, cross generational.
I come from a 3 generation laptop user family. I helped my dad purchase one, and I giggled when he went out and bought a wireless mouse to use as the touchpad was tough for him to learn to use! LOL We use them all differently but yet, we do come together for communication on a regular basis. I find it funny when my daughter is in her room,myself plopped on the couch, but yet I am compelled to instant message her to ask her a question, rather than get up and walk 2 feet into the room, a extreme sign that we have become reliant on "instant" everything! Children have them at a younger and younger age, even targeted at the toddler age! I am guilty of purchasing one for my granddaughter who is only two years old, of course it not connected to the internet, but yet a self-contained bundle of picture cards,keys, and sounds and she knows exactly how to use it.
The laptop is the tool by which we do it all instantly, quickly, efficiently, but yet at what price? In my first blog I wrote about this instant information and what it is doing to society as far as our reading habits or the lack thereof. Yes, it most certainly has changed American society in a big way, yes the PC tower type computer began the change, but the laptop is pushing it forward and upward, the tower PC will become a thing of the past and everyone will have a laptop completely personalized to their personality. On the HP website you will find the following advertisement: "Mobilize Productivity. Get performance that never lets you down, no matter where you are" This is a how I feel what encompasses a true laptop, it is the tool that increases what you do and does it no matter where you are. It is one tool that will be in every American home sitting right next to TV remote and then brought outside into the world and used on the go, bringing some of our home with us along the way.
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