Friday 30 August 2013

Creating legends in cyberspace.


Summer Mountains

Few people are able to have a symbol, which defines their individual and public identity in both physical and cyber worlds and which continues to define the narrative of the individual even after their death. The proposition in this weeks lecture that a “symbol occurs when one thing stands for another” Van Luyn (2013).  This is vividly demonstrated with the logo for Apple brand of electronic products as this logo http://robjanoff.com/applelogo/ is both a contemporary work of art and in the eyes of the public stands for the life and works of one of the co founders of the Apple products Steve Jobs.

This symbol alone seems evokes a sense of both the products created by and the philosophy of the human machine interaction as seen by Steve Jobs. The virtual network of MacRumors supplies the additional elements especially in the tributes that were posted after his death.  In a similar fashion the additional writing surrounding the traditional Chinese pictures allows for the scene to be completed by the addition of words and poetry Tuan (1991). The picture above of Summer Mountains demonstrates how an image creates an idea however the calligraphy near the picture gives the additional depth of understanding to the image. The calligraphy is itself both symbols and words that create the full meaning of the thoughts of the original artist of the work.

MacRumors continues to allow users of Apple products to interact with each other however the presence of Steve Jobs is felt within the space in which the human interaction between users is created. Often as users will remark on the design of a product and reflect on the idea that Steve had a passion for calligraphy that was a motivating force behind the idea to maintain a sense of beauty and imagination when using the products. 




References:

Tuan, Yi – Fu, Language and the Making of Place: A Narrative – Descriptive Approach.

Article Credit: Retrieved from http://robjanoff.com/applelogo/


2 comments:

  1. Hi David,
    I really liked your blog this week. I thought the points you brought up about Apple products and Steve Jobs was very creative and intriguing. I had never thought about or looked at the Apple products (which is something I see and use every day) as a symbol. You have definitely got me thinking about what other images I see and use, and what they may be symbols for, or if they even have multiple meanings.
    I currently work in the Cinemas and there is a movie coming out soon staring Ashton Kutcher, simply called ‘Jobs.’ It is about Steve Jobs and how he started and made his fortune with Apple. I thought I would share this link with you so that you could watch the trailer (http://jobsmovie2013.com/ ). It may contain further symbols and possibly even explain why he decided to call it ‘Apple.’
    Best wishes
    Ayla

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  2. Hi David,

    I was very interested in what you had to say about symbols and how their identity can be publicly displayed both through cyberspace and reality. I found it really intriguing how you have tied together this week’s readings and lecture notes to your virtual network, with you also including the representations of symbols and their narratives. You mention in your network, MacRumors that it is a network that allows you to use Apple products to interact with other users, and mentioning that the founder of this product, Steve Jobs, and how his work can be interpreted through various aspects to catch the audience attention in order for them to make sense of a virtual network space. When you described this it reminded of what Van Luyn (2013) was mentioning in this week’s lecture, that “space becomes place through humans imposing meaning on it and a sense of place is created through humans perceiving, as well as contrasting that location”. I have really enjoyed reading your recent posts as they are relevant to what is learned throughout each week’s content. I look forward to hearing more about your social network.

    Reference List:

    Van Luyn, A (2013) BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narratives and the Making Of Place, Lecture 5: Stories and Places [PowerPoint Slide Notes]. Retrieved From: http://learnjcu.edu.au

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