The ways in which Technology has entrenched itself into our national identity can be seen everywhere. Walking through a college or high school campus is much like a trip to an electronics store. Cell phones, iPods and various arrays of handheld devices are everywhere. Even the lines defining the purpose of technology have become blurred. One can listen to music or play a videogame right after taking a business call on their iPhone or check latest videogame headlines on their Blackberry. Americans are now using technology as a convenience and even as an escape from the real world rather than as a tool. From Fantasy Sports, Virtual Pets and even completely online communities furnished with fully customizable “Avatars” technology has seeped into our lives. Studies even show that today’s generation is better at using its thumbs than its forefingers! Technology even influences our language. As we move further away from the old mechanical attitude to a new digital world common phrases such as “all of the bells-and-whistles” are replaced with updated versions such as “all of the widgets and extras.” One cannot type “wow” into Google today without returning a page for the immensely popular online computer game World of Warcraft. And several acronym phrases are now accepted as proper words such as “lol” (standing for Laugh Out Loud) and “brb” (indicating Be Right Back). On the side of hardware our technology has moved with the times becoming even more powerful, chock-full of extras and cheap thrills while still forcing itself deeper into the lives of Americans. However, with all the truths about technologies influence on us, we tend to overlook the opposite relationship; the impact our culture has on technology.
Because of our own desires and demands our society’s perceptions have influenced technology greatly. Certain expectations are attached to our technology and while some of them are subconscious, others are blatant demands. Smaller, faster and cheaper are some of the core consumer demands but qualities such as integration and convenience are also sought after. The demands of today’s society mold the market and bleed though to the drawing boards of designers. Our wants and demands influence the actual shape and specifications of products. One such device which exemplifies our nation’s material culture is the USB Flash Drive. The Universal Serial Bus Flash Drive is a flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB connecting interface which allows it to plug into any standard USB outlet. The simple program which runs a Flash Drive is compatible with virtually every modern operating system including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other Unix-like systems. The device stores data on a solid state chip inside which can be written on and over virtually countless times. The most common use of a Flash Drive is to transport and store personal files such as documents, pictures and videos. There are no restrictions as to what file types can be saved on the drive and the user is only constricted by the data size limit of the drive. The name Flash Drive however is deceptive as “nothing actually moves in a flash drive: the term drive originated because a computer reads and writes flash-drive data using the same system commands as for a mechanical disk drive”[1]. Flash Drives offer many advantages over other portable storage devices, particularly the floppy disk. They are more compact, operate faster, hold more data, have a more durable design and operate more reliably due to their lack of moving parts. “IBM was the first North American seller of a USB flash memory drive, and marketed an 8 MB version of the product in 2001 under the “Memory Key” nickname”2. Today you can purchase 8GB and 16GB drives for about the same price as the first models (That’s 1000x more storage capacity!). The drastic improvement in capacity is due to the success and ease of production for the devices and also the demands of society.
My USB Flash Drive measures approximately 6 cm x 2 cm x 1 cm. It resembles the classic Halloween gravestone shape as a rectangle with one end becoming a semicircle. Its smooth black plastic case is rounded at the corners, perhaps to provide more comfort while in your pocket. It is deceptively light to the touch and seems to weigh that of a quarter dollar coin. It is hermetically sealed giving it a very professional appearance. On one of the two largest faces there is a depression in the plastic in which is exposed another lower layer of the device. This is also plastic yet creamy white. This creamy white plastic lights up red due to a small LED light underneath it when plugged into a computer. If one presses down with their thumb on this inner layer and slides it to one direction the USB connector slides out smoothly from inside one end. The part of the USB connector which slides out to plug into the computer is metal and very shiny yet not reflective. The connector is extendable/retractable and is stored inside the device when not in use again making the Flash Drive smooth and comfortably portable. When extended the Flash Dive’s dimensions increase to 7 cm x 2 cm x 1 cm. The “button” indentation to slide out the connector is a depression meaning the USB is very contoured, comfortable and aerodynamic. On the same side of the USB as the button depression is writing displaying the manufacture’s name and storage capacity of the device. The font is a futuristic style, white, all capitols and looks to be about pt. 8 in size. The letters “CUZER” appear on the side followed by “8GB” which is bolded. On the smooth curve of the end opposite to the extendable/retractable connector is a small metal ring connected to the Flash Drive. This ring is a miniaturized version of the popular key rings often used to hold sets of keys together. This again suggests that the Flash Drive was designed with mobility in mind.
Despite that this particular USB Flash Drive is fairly plain in design the market is not limited to such bland styles. On several websites, easily found through Google, one can order a custom made USB Flash Drive shaped in any way virtually possible. Hidden inside pens, shaped like small Coke-a-Cola® Bottles or even Samurai swords! One Japanese maker even produces a USB Flash Drive resembling ikura sushi, a highly popular native food in Japan. Other companies offer wristbands with Flash Drives built in, lanyard Flash Drives, Flash Drives with laser pointers and even simple calculators with Flash Drives attached are available on today’s market. Seemingly even convenience and superfluous consideration has been taken into account. The availability of these options though illustrates to us much more about today’s society than what is obviously perceptible; the technology we use is affected by our traditions and non-technologic values. The benefits of a sushi shaped Flash Drive over a standard are nonexistent from the critical viewpoint but not so from the emotional. One’s love for sushi can be transferred onto the Flash Drive and thus lends a much deeper level of attachment and satisfaction from the Flash Drive. Similarly, toady’s person is mobile, but not in the sense of the word relative to nomadic cultures or aimless wonderers. We are all seemingly rushing from one event to the next on our Segway listening to music on our iPod and talking on our cell-phones. It seems logical we should also be carrying around gigabytes of computer data with us! Thus the physical size Flash Drives has decreased while there capacity for storing data has exploded! I do not require 8GB of space on my Flash Drive but I feel better knowing that it is there and available should I need it. Most technology is created now with these feelings in mind. Thus we see how our culture, society and traditions influence machinery around us and expose the subtle truth; technology is a reflection of ourselves.
[1] “USB Flash Drive.” Wikipedia. 14 Oct. 2008. Wikipedia Foundation. 14 Oct. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/usb_flash_drive>.
[2]“History of USB Flash Drive.” Supermediastore. 14 Oct. 2008 <http://www.supermediastore.com/usb-flash-drive-memory-jump-drive-history-of-usb-flash-drives.html>.
I think choosing a usb flash drive to write about was ambitious and you pulled it off very well. Your writing style is entertaining and the description was very detailed. It’s neat how you managed to take a relatively simple looking object and drew connections to society from it. Nice work.
Nice job writing about a particularly difficult object. Your description was spot on. I also thought that the way you chose to wrap it all up in the end was a very efficient and interesting way to do so. Nice work.
Examples of the comma use for the pause effect that I mention in your last paper (inserted into your original text with parentheses):
“Because of our own desires and demands(,) our society’s perceptions have influenced technology greatly.”
“Smaller, faster and cheaper are some of the core consumer demands(,) but qualities such as integration and convenience are also sought after.”
“When extended(,) the Flash Dive’s dimensions increase to 7 cm x 2 cm x 1 cm.”
Your proofreading suffered a bit towards the end, and I think you might have done something with the nickname “thumb drive”, in your analysis, particularly with the comment about the generation’s use of its thumbs. All that said, given the difficulty inherent in choosing an object like this, I think you did a fantastic job with this. You are an excellent writer Byron, don’t let proofreading derail your talents.