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Appletopia: Media Technology and the Religious Imagination of Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs knew what he was doing. He watched as technology tightened its grip on the American psyche. Long before others understood the potential of the personal computer, he saw its power. But it was his visionary use of media to explain technology to a hungry culture that revealed his singular genius. As a result, even by today's standards few inventions approach the worldwide religious devotion that tech users have lavished upon the products "Designed by Apple in California" and its late founder.
In Appletopia, media and culture critic Brett T. Robinson reconstructs Steve Jobs' imagination for digital innovation in transcendent terms. Robinson portrays how the confluence of Jobs' religious, philosophical, and technological thought was embodied in Apple's most memorable advertising campaigns. From Zen Buddhism and Catholicism to dystopian and futurist thought, religion defined and branded Jobs' design methodology.
Appletopia navigates decades of marketing strategy and divines the clever and creative ways that Apple conveyed its purpose to the world: Apple products were to be known for their fantastically simple design and astonishing ease of use. In so doing, Robinson resurrects Jobs' uncanny ability to integrate philosophical and religious thought with technological genius, laying the groundwork for Apple's ubiquity today. As it turns out, culture was eager to find meaning in the burgeoning technological revolution, naming Jobs as its prophet and Apple the deliverer of his message.
In Appletopia, media and culture critic Brett T. Robinson reconstructs Steve Jobs' imagination for digital innovation in transcendent terms. Robinson portrays how the confluence of Jobs' religious, philosophical, and technological thought was embodied in Apple's most memorable advertising campaigns. From Zen Buddhism and Catholicism to dystopian and futurist thought, religion defined and branded Jobs' design methodology.
Appletopia navigates decades of marketing strategy and divines the clever and creative ways that Apple conveyed its purpose to the world: Apple products were to be known for their fantastically simple design and astonishing ease of use. In so doing, Robinson resurrects Jobs' uncanny ability to integrate philosophical and religious thought with technological genius, laying the groundwork for Apple's ubiquity today. As it turns out, culture was eager to find meaning in the burgeoning technological revolution, naming Jobs as its prophet and Apple the deliverer of his message.
159 pages, Hardcover
First published July 29, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 6, 2013
A fascinating book. Technology is enveloping us in a new religious revolution, and Steve Jobs’ Apple Corporation, with its cult following, is leading the way. We gaze adoringly at media screens for hours a day, gingerly touching their magical user interface designed to help us overcome the linear thinking we were raised with. Jobs, by trusting in his esoteric brand of Eastern religion, has turned iEverythings into a sublime and transcendental experience, connecting humanity worldwide.
This is not a book about religion; at least not in the traditional sense. If you ride the current of the book, though, you realize that Jobs has led us into a new religion for the information age. A comment he made once after traveling from Delhi to the Himalayas, shaving his head and participating in various Hindu rituals in search of enlightenment, gets right to the point: “I started to realize that maybe Thomas Edison did a lot more to improve the world than Karl Marx and Neem Karoli Baba put together.” It became clear to him that his mission in life was to help develop tools for the mind that would deprogram the Western mentality of linear rationality and formal logic.
For Jobs, technology was more than a tool, it was a way to elevate consciousness. He insisted on manufacturing computers without cooling fans to allow the user to achieve a Zen-like concentration, undistracted by the machine’s noise. His ad campaigns all focus on thinking differently.
Digital technology renders us omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent (the three omni’s attributed to God in the Bible). But is technology ultimately a false god? Are we reaching for the stars or are we shriveling inside? That question is left for you to decide.
This is not a book about religion; at least not in the traditional sense. If you ride the current of the book, though, you realize that Jobs has led us into a new religion for the information age. A comment he made once after traveling from Delhi to the Himalayas, shaving his head and participating in various Hindu rituals in search of enlightenment, gets right to the point: “I started to realize that maybe Thomas Edison did a lot more to improve the world than Karl Marx and Neem Karoli Baba put together.” It became clear to him that his mission in life was to help develop tools for the mind that would deprogram the Western mentality of linear rationality and formal logic.
For Jobs, technology was more than a tool, it was a way to elevate consciousness. He insisted on manufacturing computers without cooling fans to allow the user to achieve a Zen-like concentration, undistracted by the machine’s noise. His ad campaigns all focus on thinking differently.
Digital technology renders us omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent (the three omni’s attributed to God in the Bible). But is technology ultimately a false god? Are we reaching for the stars or are we shriveling inside? That question is left for you to decide.
May 24, 2015
***ACTUAL RATING: 3,5***
This book is another proof that Steve Jobs was truly a genius!
This book is another proof that Steve Jobs was truly a genius!
September 18, 2013
As a long-time Apple computer enthusiast, I was immediately drawn to the striking stark white book cover with Steve Jobs in silhouette and the wonderful title - Appletopia. This thought-provoking book published by Baylor University Press is much more readable than most scholarly books I've encountered.
Brett Robinson is a marketing and media professor who does a masterful job of analyzing the power of the mythology that has grown up around Jobs and Apple's remarkable devices. He is particularly adept at analyzing the religious imagery behind Apple's iconic ads. I enjoyed many of his observations about the spiritual meaning behind our age's embrace of computer technology.
Robinson probes the meaning of it all, from Apple's "forbidden fruit" logo to the cult of true believers that has grown up around it. Jobs is described as "the shaman of high tech" and the "prophet of technology.' The reproduction of the Robert Parada illustration of "The Night Steve Jobs met Andy Warhol," with the iMac playing the part of baby Jesus in a manger scene, shouldn't be missed.
Here are two sample passages to give you a taste of this book:
"Churches, cars and computers share a secret affinity. They help us escape. The really special ones are works of art. Chartres, Ferrari and the iPod are all cathedrals - each one transporting us in different ways."
"Jobs' genius was not engineering talent. It was something far more radical. The Renaissance man from Los Altos found a way to imitate God by endowing a cold, lifeless bundle of circuits with a soul."
Brett Robinson is a marketing and media professor who does a masterful job of analyzing the power of the mythology that has grown up around Jobs and Apple's remarkable devices. He is particularly adept at analyzing the religious imagery behind Apple's iconic ads. I enjoyed many of his observations about the spiritual meaning behind our age's embrace of computer technology.
Robinson probes the meaning of it all, from Apple's "forbidden fruit" logo to the cult of true believers that has grown up around it. Jobs is described as "the shaman of high tech" and the "prophet of technology.' The reproduction of the Robert Parada illustration of "The Night Steve Jobs met Andy Warhol," with the iMac playing the part of baby Jesus in a manger scene, shouldn't be missed.
Here are two sample passages to give you a taste of this book:
"Churches, cars and computers share a secret affinity. They help us escape. The really special ones are works of art. Chartres, Ferrari and the iPod are all cathedrals - each one transporting us in different ways."
"Jobs' genius was not engineering talent. It was something far more radical. The Renaissance man from Los Altos found a way to imitate God by endowing a cold, lifeless bundle of circuits with a soul."
December 1, 2013
I received this book from Baylor Press in exchange for an honest review.
Appletopia by Brett T. Robinson tells of the religious influence on Apple's technology and advertising. Robinson follows the timeline of Apple products, showing how both their designs and marketing were largely impacted by different religious events and figures. Robinson wonderfully describes many of Apple's marketing campaigns, delving below the surface to their hidden imitations and suggestions. Little did I realize that some of my favorite iPod commercials (the white dancing figures on neon backgrounds & the cubicle ad) were full of religious metaphors and undertones. No matter your favorite Apple product, you'll be intrigued by the message behind that catchy commercial or billboard that made you have to have it on day one. Yes, I am still annoyed that I don't have the coveted gold iPhone.
This book is great for so many types of people... from techies or religious scholars to, of course, Apple fans young and old. While some of the material may seem dense, it is actually a fairly quick and seriously fascinating read.
The only reason I gave it 4 stars and not 5 is because the author repeats himself in more than one spot, which I did find mildly distracting.
http://a20somethingreader.blogspot.co...
Appletopia by Brett T. Robinson tells of the religious influence on Apple's technology and advertising. Robinson follows the timeline of Apple products, showing how both their designs and marketing were largely impacted by different religious events and figures. Robinson wonderfully describes many of Apple's marketing campaigns, delving below the surface to their hidden imitations and suggestions. Little did I realize that some of my favorite iPod commercials (the white dancing figures on neon backgrounds & the cubicle ad) were full of religious metaphors and undertones. No matter your favorite Apple product, you'll be intrigued by the message behind that catchy commercial or billboard that made you have to have it on day one. Yes, I am still annoyed that I don't have the coveted gold iPhone.
This book is great for so many types of people... from techies or religious scholars to, of course, Apple fans young and old. While some of the material may seem dense, it is actually a fairly quick and seriously fascinating read.
The only reason I gave it 4 stars and not 5 is because the author repeats himself in more than one spot, which I did find mildly distracting.
http://a20somethingreader.blogspot.co...
September 21, 2013
Fascinating and succinct.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews