It has been 13 days since innovative legend Steve Jobs passed away and 31 days since the Occupy Wall Street movement was born in New York City on Sept 17.
The sentiment opposing corporate greed has spread quickly throughout the nation and the world since then thanks in very large part to the convenience of social networking.
Jobs developed and created several innovative products for Apple, Inc., including the MacBook, iPad and iPhone, which have helped make the worldwide word-of-mouth movement flourish and continue to grow.
However, the Apple corporation, according to the Business Insider website, is worth an estimated $222.12 billion. Steve Jobs was said to be worth $8.3 billion himself. Many of the individuals who have rallied together at the multiple U.S. “Occupy” locations rely on Apple technologies to advocate and inform people about their efforts.
While the Internet is undoubtedly the best tool for spreading the word, it seems slightly paradoxical that protesters condemn corporate affluence, yet find value in the utilization of products that have made certain companies so “inappropriately” successful.
Perhaps the use of Apple products by members of the Occupy assemblage reiterates their message in a way – the power and influence of a corporation like Apple is so huge that it has become ultimately inescapable.
In our modern society, the majority of America is accustomed to sending and receiving messages instantaneously.
There is a shared sense of urgency in the constant swapping of text messages, emails and IMs, a common feeling that unrelenting and immediate communication is necessary to actively participate in society.
Keeping up with the continual advancement of technology is even essential to citizens unsatisfied with the sense of materialism manifested by mainstream society – as much as this type of person might condemn the constant creation of new, expensive toys and the gains corporations reap as a result, they must eventually conform.
As corporations like Apple continue to release more advanced products, other companies will continue to replicate and distribute their own versions of them, and society will continue to apply all these new technologies to nearly every facet of daily life – the touch-screen, 3G network phone has become increasingly common.
It is undeniable that all college students need a laptop, or an acceptable alternative, like one of the many “tablets” now available for purchase.
Even if a person uses the most basic cell phone or computer, he or she must adhere to the demands of the companies that control its ability to communicate. Hence the unavoidable cycle of surviving in a materialistic society.
