Group 5 - Portable Culture: Personality Connected

Project Members:

Reggie Miranda

Ada Fu

Enoch Deer

Tony Tsai

May Tanaka

Project Goal:

A Research Presentation on the cultural ramifications of the cellular phone.

Purpose:

Portable Culture is a research project aimed to explore the relationship that the cellular phone has had with the cultural emergence of the telecommunications technology on both the micro-personal and its impact on the macro-social level.

On a Modernist to Post-Modernist metaphor, we follow the cellphone from its early development, most importantly since the advent of the camera-phone, which added a different dimension in function, in parallel to the increasing importance of aesthetic design in a consumer-led Knowledge Economy. This parallel advancement of form and function has led to this Cultural Emergence in at least 4 levels: Identity, Personality, Connectivity, and Multimedia.

Indentity->CE->Convenience

Personality->CE->Statement

Connectivity->CE->Smaller World

Multimedia->CE->Reporter

http://artcamp.pbwiki.com/f/identity.jpg&thumb=1

Identity:

In a functional view, the cellular phone has taken a role as the personal identity of the person. Especially in civilizations that champion the development of this technology, such as Japan, the cell phone is becoming more and more the center of information about the user.

http://artcamp.pbwiki.com/f/personality.jpg&thumb=1

Personality:

Taking form as its primary concern, the cellular phone has become not only an important functional necessity, but a wearable technology, something that has become a part of "the outfit". The cell phone is looked up as another piece of clothing first, rather than a piece of technology that is carried around.

http://artcamp.pbwiki.com/f/connectivity.jpg&thumb=1

Connectivity:

On the macro-social level, widespread use has connected people in more ways than ever, from simple text messages, and classic voice communication, to sharing of pictures, videos, and music.

http://artcamp.pbwiki.com/f/multimedia.jpg&thumb=1

Multimedia:

With such information-based technology on the go, data is observed and recorded on the fly with the cell phone. Every moments are catalogued and shared to anyone around the world via the internet. With video-phones, it is possible for anyone to report "news" that is important to them and share it. Again on the social-level, this breaks the barriers of classic sources of getting the news. What was once only available through the eyes of professional reporters on TV networks, is not available through the eyes of anyone with a cell phone, and on any subject.

From modernist grids to post-modernist networks, the cellular phone has followed this trend and continues to grow; with it, cultural emergence is even more evident.

Our research thus far has brought us to this understanding, but this the cultural ramifications that this technology has brought has only been touched up, as there are no doubt highly complex relationships between the cellphone and other technologies that tie into social-cultural in many different ways.

IAT 401 TA, Vicki Moulder, Comments 09/28/06

I have questions about the concept and what you are going to do? Your group has chosen to work with Portable Culture - Identity, Personality, Connectivity and Multimedia. My concern is that the project scope is too large and perhaps you may have difficulty making a connection to the concept and “real” obtainable goals.

To assist you with managing the scope I've framed out some milestones, a blue print that could be helpful. For example:

Project Start Date: September 04/06

Project Description: Due October 02/06? (this is the stage you are at now) Outline the project description the methodology, the event, the conclusion.

• Methodology: Delivery date and declare what methods you will use to achieve your goals.

• The Event: Delivery date and describe the event (i.e. what are you going to do, are you going to produce an exhibition, build a web site or conduct a survey)

• Conclusion: Delivery date and identify what the end findings will look, what you are planning on delivering as an artifact of your project? The artifact could be a research paper, an installation, a sound recording, etc?

Project End Date: December 05/06

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IAT 401 Niranjan Rajah, Comments 10/03/06

You have laid out the background of the project well but I do not see how you will develop something specific in terms of complexity - Is this going to be mainly a theoretical paper. If you can theorize the cell phone as an emergent phenomena this would be very strong but if there is no project the expectations on your theoretical exposition will be higher.

Also your four levels need to be linked into the charesteristics of an emergent phenomena of the cell phone in its social - cultural matrix - otherwise they seem a little arbitrary.