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            It’s 2011, who doesn’t know what a smartphone is? If you can find someone over the age of 12 who doesn’t, I would like to meet them, and see what cave they have been able to survive in over the last couple years. Jokes aside, the old days of the phone in a suitcase, and the plain old flip phones are over. Smartphones have taken over the mobile market. The main competitors are Apple, Samsung, Motorola and HTC. Studies are showing that in the first quarter of 2011, almost 430 million smartphones were sold to mobile phone consumers, which is a 19 percent increase from the same quarter in 2010 (Silva, 2011).

            So what does a smartphone do? I guess a better question would be what doesn’t it do? The answer is really simple…it pretty much does it all expect cook dinner for your family. And when that phone comes out, it’s mine! Depending on which Smartphone you decide to carry, there are different bells and whistles that make each one special.

            Smartphones, such as the Apple iPhone and the Motorola Droid, offer impressive operating systems with 1GHz processors, large screen sizes (4.3 inches), wireless internet access anywhere in the world, 8 to 16 MB of storage capacity, impressive cameras with flash, high resolution video cameras, and HDMI capabilities (Silva, 2011). Aside from all of these, Smartphones offer something that other phones just can’t touch: the Apps Market. Now, this is where the fun is. There are literally millions of apps available just by hitting a button on your Smartphone; games, calorie counters, turn your phone into a flashlight, diagnose your symptoms… the list could go on and on.

            To say Smartphones are a current pop culture topic would be correct. Although they have been around for several years, they really haven’t hit hard until just recently. It really shows how today’s population depends on technology to get through their daily life. Ok, so I am not going to lie. I fought the urge to get one for a long time, finding every excuse in the book. I have no idea how I ever survived without it. Sad isn’t it. I keep my life programmed in my phone. Life is faster pace than it was 20 years ago, hence the need for faster technology.

References

Hope, D. (2010, June 25). iPhone 4 vs. droid x: How do they compare? Retrieved May 29, 2011, from CS Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0625/iPhone-4-vs.-Droid-X-How-do-they-compare

Silva, V. C. (2011, May 29). Smartphones rule in the mobile market. Retrieved May 29, 2011, from PC World: http://www.pcworld.com/article/228954/smartphones_rule_in_mobile_market.html

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The three contemporary icons that I have chosen are:

·         Wonder Woman

·         Michael Jackson

·         Shrek

Wonder Woman was formed by William Moulton Marston, for DC Comics in 1940. Marston believed women were more trustworthy and reliable than men, and was an advocator for women’s causes. Wonder Woman was created during a time where men superheroes ruled the comics. Her first appearance was in 1941, in All Star Comics #8. Wonder Woman had a mixture of superhuman powers, such as being able to stop bullets with her bracelets, jump far distances, and she carried a magic lasso, which forced the truth out of her captures. A TV series was based on this character and starred Lynda Carter. It ran from 1975-1979.

Michael Jackson hit the music scene at age 11, along with his brothers, as a member of the Jackson 5. In the 80’s, he went solo with hits like “Billie Jean” and “Beat It.  He ultimately inspired pop music all over the world, and because of this is known as the “King of Pop”. Michael Jackson’s album “Thriller” is the highest selling album in the recording history, with  over 70 million sold, along with singles that were released that sold over 100 million copies. In his career, he sold over 750 million albums, had 13 number one hits, won 13 grammys, is in the Guiness Book of World Records for being the most successful entertainer of all time, received the AMA Artist of the Centurty award, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (Michael jackson bio).

The animated character, Shrek, came to life in 2001, by Dreamworks Animation. His voice is portrayed by actor Mike Myers. He is a big, green ogre who wants to live quietly by himself in his swamp. His friend, Donkey, helps him save Princess Fiona, so that Shrek’s swamp can be saved.  In doing this, he fell in love with the Princess.  In Shrek 2, 2004, he marries the Princess, and goes to visit her family. Prince Charming and the Fairy Godmother attempt trouble at every turn. Shrek the Third came out in 2007. Princess Fiona’s father passes away, and Shrek is set to take over the kingdom, unless he can find Arthur Pendragon, the King’s nephew (Shrek, 2011).

I chose each of these icons because they represent different parts of my life. When I was little, as far back as I can remember, Wonder Woman was my favorite superhero. I wore WW Underroos, and ran around the house, trying to lasso my big brother with my jump rope pretending to be her.  I grew up listening to Michael Jackson’s music, and even dressed like him when I was in fourth grade, with the black leather zipper jacket and the “parachute” pants. Now that I am older with children of my own, Shrek is one of my favorite movies to watch with them. Even though we have seen the movies dozens of time, it just never gets old.  All of these icons hold a special place with me, and in my life, and that is why I chose them.These iconic figures remind me of my childhood, and will continue into my children's lives as I share with them stories of my past.

References

 

Michael jackson bio. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2011, from Michael Jackson: http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/bio.

Shrek. (2011). Retrieved May 22, 2011, from Reel Movie News: http://www.reelmovienews.com/characters/shrek/.

Wonder woman history. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2011, from Vex: http://www.vex.net/~dq711/wonder_woman.htm.

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            Social networking has grown increasingly popular over the last several years.  Facebook now has almost 600 million registered users, making it the top social site on the web. This site brings together friends and family around the globe with status updates, instant messaging, and pictures, all for free. 58 percent of Facebook users are in countries other than the United States. Users can connect via computers, cell phones, IPods, and other electronic devices with an Internet connection (Petro, 2011).

            Facebook was founded in 2004 by Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg, and originally named “thefacebook.com”. It was initially only available for Harvard students to meet and get to know each other on an online format. Soon, it became so popular, that it was offered to other colleges. Then came high schools, and now it is available to anyone with an internet connection, with the exception that the user is over the age of thirteen (Roeder, 2011).

            Facebook offers thousands of applications, including games and quizzes. Games, such as Farmville, have been a huge hit for Facebook. They are so popular that gift cards for Zynga games can be purchased at retail stores.  The user’s wall is basically a blog, using status updates to keep friends updated on their life. Friends and family can make comments on the wall. Pictures and videos can be added to profiles. Companies can get free advertising by making a profile page and getting people to “like” it.  All of this on one website, who could ask for more? Facebook is not only entertaining, but is an affordable (free) way to stay in contact with friends and family all over the world (Petro, 2011).

            Since Facebook is free, it relies on investors, like advertisers, to keep the business going. That doesn’t seem to be a problem for the most popular social networking site on the Web. It is said that Facebook is worth over $50 billion, which has tripled since just last year. So, to say that Facebook is a pop culture icon would be very accurate.

 

                                                                http://www.facebook.com/

References

Petro, B. (2011, February 3). History of facebook: The social network at seven. Retrieved may 22, 2011, from Bill Petro: http://billpetro.com/history-of-facebook.

Roeder, L. (2011). Where did facebook come from? Retrieved May 22, 2011, from About.com: http://personalweb.about.com/od/makefriendsonfacebook/a/whatisfacebook_5.htm.

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What is Pop Culture?

Pop culture is basically what is going on in the world at a given time, in an era. Over the years, the popularity of items, actors, TV shows, music, clothes, pretty much everything, changes to reflect those times. Fads come and go, and may come back again. For instance in the 70's bell bottom jeans were the the hip thing to wear. Sure enough, in the start of new millenium, that style was back into fashion. This culture is not necessarily the same for everyone everywhere. The East Coast popular culture is different from the West Coast popular culture, which is different than the Southern pop culture.  And most of the time, if a new fad is started in one area, it may take some time to reach the other areas of the world.

From a business standpoint, pop culture can mean new money making opportunities. If these fads are on a constant cycle, this means that new products are always in demand. In my chosen career field, Healthcare Information Systems Management, the "thing to do" is Electronic Health Records. While I do not see this as a fad that will go away, (mostly because the government won't let it), it is constantly changing. The EHR that came out 6 years ago is not as involved as the EHR that is coming out today. New applications are being added to these programs at a pretty fast rate. Physicians and hospitals all over the world are jumping on the bandwagon and picking a software that they find appealing. And while it is a pretty exciting time for me starting my career, and the healthcare field getting new toys to play with, in 20 years, this will just be the norm.

The popular icon that I chose is the Silly Bandz. Who would have ever thought that someone could become a multimillionaire by coming up with the idea to turn jelly bracelets into fun shapes? I wish I would have come up with that! I see kids, mine included, wearing these bracelets up to their elbows. Okay, I'm not going to lie, my daughter put some on my wrist a couple days ago, and they are still there. So what, they are fun, and kind of make me feel like I fit in with my kids.

source: sillybandz.com