Re: <nettime> Cellphones and the Cancer of Cellspace

["Benjamin Geer" <benjamin.geer@btinternet.com>]

On Mon, Nov 13, 2000 at 09:02:19AM +0100, <<<bernhard loibner>>> wrote:
> I think it is fairly naive to see mobile phones as a fashion accessory
> and people who use it as addicted to consumerism. In an environment with
> a saturation of cell phones as high as in most european countries it is
> hardly an item suitable for elitism or avantgarde of any kind. 

In a recent billboard ad for a mobile phone, the slogan was something
like, `Are you sure you want to get this much attention?' Someone else has
already pointed out, on this list, that Nokia phones have detachable
covers so they can be colour-coordinated with one's outfit. Mobile phones
are as heavily fetishised as cars.

The fact that most women carry handbags does not mean that handbags aren't
a fashion accessory.  Fashion has little to do with elitism or the
avant-garde.  It is fundamentally a type of conformism.  Far from being
diminished by ubiquity, it *requires* ubiquity.

-- Benjamin Geer http://www.btinternet.com/~amisuk/bg




#  distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission
#  <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism,
#  collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets
#  more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body
#  archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net