Tuesday, March 25, 2008

What is in a Name?

A cell phone is a cell phone, right? I don't think so! Well, names create meaning that help us understand what is around us, and I don't think that "cell phone" quite does it. Look at cars... you could be driving a sedan, a sports car, a hatchback, a bakkie... you get the picture. Different names tell us a lot about what something is, and what it's significance is. I think that cell phones need some sort of classification.














I am sure that the term "cell phone" was originally good enough, I am sure "car" was too, but there needs to be shift to make things clearer. Through the convergence of technology, a phone is no longer just a phone and may be able to connect to internet, or take photos, or draw pictures, or watch films, or play music, or do all of these! We need a distiction to prevent this sort of thing:
"You have a cell phone don't you?"
" Yes, of course I do, but how does that help?"
"Well, just take a picture and mms it to me."
"Ah.... I went for the GPS option instead of the camera."
"Hmph."

Which is what happened to me the other day.














We have reached a point now with this technology to start classifying it. Hey, some devices are barely phones anymore, but come with a phone incidentally, like my Mom's GPS system. I noticed this when I borrowed her phone and could not actually find any of the phone functions, but could quite easily find the quickest route to drive Cape Town.


3 comments:

mantu said...

I liked your post Dael! today our identity is determined by cell phones we own. having a cell phone is a norm what matters are the features it have, like video camera, mms, music and so on.

Ntombizani Mbutho

Katie Essom said...

You've touched a little dilemma i have had recently (with regards to convergence). When I have saved up enough money, which could be anywhere between one months time and 1 years time, do I buy that iPod I've been wanting for ages or do I buy a new phone, even though mine doesn't really need updating, which can do everything a iPod can do and more?

diligent dube said...

Thats a good observation, with the cellphones you can have it and not know how half of the other functions are for. Guess we better get back to using manuals to know how these things function.