Assignment 1-4-6

There were many theories that we applied to our popular culture topic in this class. My topic of “Will e-readers (Kindles, Smartphones, etc.) eventually replace the traditional paper book?” was a little difficult to apply these theories too. A few times, I really had to stretch to make it work. The theories I think that worked the best with my topic were popular belief, myth, stereotypes, and rituals.

            The popular belief is that e-readers will eventually replace the traditional book. It is much lighter and convenient than most books and can hold a lot of books on one device. It also does not take a lot of space on a shelf. The myth theory is that technology can make our life easier. E-readers would definitely make our life easier but does all technology make our life easier or are there some downsides to it as well. There seem to be just as many problems with people having cell phones as there are advantages. People seen with e-readers etc. can be stereotyped as nerds, professional businesses people etc. Rituals are habits associated with the e-reader. For example, I like to pull my e-reader out every morning while I eat breakfast and read from the scriptures. It’s a nice way to start my day. I pull out my e-reader again at night, and read an uplifting article from one of our church leaders. This helps me sleep better at night.

            One of the most interesting things I found doing this theory analysis was that I had never thought about myself performing regular rituals while using my e-reader. I was also more aware of how many people use an e-reader. In our women’s meeting at church about half of the class uses some kind of reader to pull up scriptures and the manual we learn from. However, when the women’s president asked how many of us would prefer our manual for next year in book form, almost the entire class raised their hands. That was interesting to me because they don’t bring their manual to class since they have it electronically, so why would they want a paper copy. I was not one of those who raised their hands. I was thinking of all the dust that collects on my current manual at home.

            I will definitely look at popular culture differently. I will be more aware of the pros and cons of technology and weigh the two against each other before making a purchase. I will also be more aware of my habits or rituals. Am I spending too much time playing games etc. on my e-reader when I should be doing my homework or spending time with my family?

Image retrieved from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40276953/ns/technology_and_science-tech_holiday_guide/t/e-readers-tablets-what-should-you-buy/#.UFphBo2PWJo on September 19, 2012.