Exploration 2: Cultural Artifact - Apple Watch

 The cultural artifact I selected for this exploration is the Apple Watch.  The Apple Watch is a watch made by Apple Inc.  This watch, worn on people’s wrists as watches are, has the capabilities of a phone and a computer.  With Siri, people can literally ask their watch about the weather.  It allows users to be reached at any time or place, and inversely, to reach out at any time or place.  Society’s common demand for immediate attention and gratification is exemplified by the Apple Watch. Whether it is through a vibration or a sound, users are notified when others are attempting to contact them.  They are notified when a set alarm sounds. When a “Severe Weather Statement” is in effect. When an Amber Alert is issued. When the device needs to be updated.  When an event is scheduled.  When an email is received.  When social media is used. When a reminder is issued.  Not only is the Apple Watch its own entity, but it is also a conduit of the user’s cellphone and or computer.  This is representative of our tendencies to be a conduit of and therefore controlled by our technologies - willingfly so.  The Apple Watch is a significant artifact because it represents our society's submissive behavior when it comes to technological obligations.

Interpretation: Where do the meanings you associate with these images come from?

In terms of palimpsest traces, the image of an Apple Watch comes from multiple sources.  The most common one that comes to mind is advertisement.  The Apple Watch is advertised in several ways.  The first, and most obvious, includes Apple commercials.  Apple has numerous advertisements on different platforms. These advertisements could be on television or come to us through a television-like subscription. Apple also has still advertisements. 

These, for instance, may pop up on the side of a website or through a targeted ad.  In addition to these blatant advertisements, Apple Watches are advertised through celebrity and popular use.  Although thought of as relatively common, Apple Watches start around $200 for the simplest old model - $399 for the simplest current model. 

At this price, this is not a luxury an everyday-man can buy on a whim, despite popular perspective.  This leads one to believe that who is in the public eye is, therefore, not an everyday-man. 

The Apple Watch is also associated with health. 

The advertisement on Apple’s website claims “The future of health is on your wrist”.  This phrase is multidimensional in meaning.  It is meant for society to believe that not only will you be healthy if you have an Apple Watch, but it will be fun and trendy and innovative.  The beholder of an Apple Watch will also have access to this picturesque health instantly and always because it is attached to their wrist, fulfilling the instant gratification with which technology provides us.  

Interactivity

What meanings do you associate with this image of an object, and from what experiences have you learned that meaning?

I asked this question (in more simplistic language of “What is this picture of and how do you know?) to an 8 year-old, male, student of mine from Guatemala.  He simply responded, “It is a watch that is connected to your phone”. It seemed so simple to him, something so ordinary and mundane. The nature of the way he described it reflects how society sees an Apple Watch - ordinary, obligatory for some.  His explanation makes sense to me because when I think about it, most of, say 80%, of his teachers wear an Apple Watch.  That being said, I would not consider teachers to be a part of the ‘wealthy’ population who can afford to spend $400 on a watch at the drop of a hat. How is this possible then? It is seen as obligatory for success by some, whether it be for the health benefit (as mentioned in the specific advertisement previously) or the instantaneous connection to one’s phone.  This discussion leads to the grappling with the difference between obligation and convenience - which is reality?

I asked this question to my roommate’s 88year-old grandmother.  She responded that “it is a phone that you wear on your wrist” and went on to say, “You can make telephone calls on it”.  She told me about when she first encountered an Apple Watch.  Her other granddaughter was visiting and they talked to her mother on it while she was there.  She remarked how she had never known that you could connect a watch to a phone, but that it seemed like a “neat idea”.  However, she did go on to question why she needed it in the first place when her granddaughter’s phone was sitting right on the table.  “I’m just not going to understand that”, the 88 year-old commented.  This was an interesting interaction because it showed just how much an Apple Watch is not obligatory.  In the 88 year-old’s eyes, this gadget did not evoke any negative thoughts or opinions, but rather made her question the usefulness of it.  The watch did not necessarily add to the experience, but was an alternative.  

Lastly, I asked this question to my nail technician, an Asian woman in her late twenties.  Her reaction seemed to be what could be considered the most harsh.  She scoffed at the mention of it and said that it was “too expensive to have a phone strapped to your wrist that makes it so anyone can reach you at any point in time”.  She seemed to be very cautious of the obligatory nature of the watch and how it was perceived to give the wearer instant access to communication for better or worse.  

Upon reflection, asking each one of these people to comment on the Apple Watch and their experiences with it, was eye opening.  Each one of them had a response unique from the others, but did have the factor of immediacy in common.  Attitudes toward the device differed and ranged from an indifferently mundane view to criticism of purpose.  

Production/Alternative Meanings

When typed into Google Images, “Apple Watch” elicits different images that fall in the realm of singularity. 

In some pictures, the watch appears on wrist of different races.  However, what has the most variety is the band the watch is adorned to.  Bands themselves are sold separately from the watch and require additional funds (unless one chooses a white or black one that comes with it). When searched in the Google category of ‘all’, interestingly enough, it is not the Apple site that comes up first - it is Best Buy.  The Apple website is second.  

   

When I typed “Apple Watch” into https://regender.com nothing appeared to be very different.  This side by side screenshot shows this.  It does not seem like Apple Watch comments on gender to the extent I even expected.  Even when they comment on wrist size, it is put as small or large.  

Conclusion

Moreover, the Apple Watch is a notable cultural artifact because it highlights how different tiers and sects of society view an ‘everyday’ object and how obtaining that artifact reflects on the user's status and privilege.  In comment on status and privilege, this can refer to a variety of facets of society, mainly age and class.  To generalize, it seems like younger people might view the Apple Watch as more ordinary, mundane, and necessary due to obligation.  This obligation coming from society’s demand to be in contact with individuals at all times.  However, this generalization pertains to young people with money - enough money to buy a watch that is at least $200.  The Apple Watch represents how a costly, but also somehow common, object links individuals to technology and therefore a seemingly false sense of obligatory demand in which they have no voice.