Campbell+and+La+Pastina.+How+the+iPhone+Became+Divine

=Campbell, Heidi A. and Antonio C. La Pastina. "How the iPhone Became Divine: New Media, Religion, and the Intertextual Circulation of Meaning." = //New Media & Society.// Nov 2010, Vol. 12 Issue 7: 1191-1207. http://nms.sagepub.com/content/12/7/1191.full.pdf+html

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Abstract
"This article explores the labeling of the iPhone as the 'Jesus phone' in order to demonstrate how religious metaphors and myth can be appropriated into popular discourse and shape the reception of a technology. We consider the intertextual nature of the relationship between religious language, imagery and technology and demonstrate how this creates a unique interaction between technology fans and bloggers, news media and even corporate advertising. Our analysis of the 'Jesus phone' clarifies how different groups may appropriate the language and imagery of another to communicate very different meanings and intentions. Intertextuality serves as a framework to unpack the deployment of religion to frame technology and meanings communicated. We also reflect on how religious language may communicate both positive and negative aspects of a technology and instigate an unintentional trajectory in popular discourse as it is employed by different audiences, both online and offline" (Campbell and La Pastina 1192).

Argument
Campbell and La Pastina explore the rhetorical discourse surrounding the Apple iPhone, and it's label as the "Jesus phone," by examining the implications religious metaphors have upon technology, as such imagery shapes perceptions of the technology's positive and negative qualities and abilities. They cite Heidegger, for noting technology's propensity to save, and Noble, for his myth of 'the religion of technology' (1193) which states that technology aligns itself with transcendence, and allows us to worship ourselves via technology, as it empowers us by compensating for our limitations. They also discuss Davis' myth of 'techgnosis' which enables the western world to obsess over technology into a god, and, according to Stahl's myth of 'technological mysticism,' the computer becomes an implicit, universal religion with magical qualities (1194). Campbell and La Pastina contend that the myths are indicative of the nature of humanity and technology, and of the interactions between the two forces, citing the example of the Macintosh "cult," complete with the Jesus figure of Steve Jobs. They argue that the religious metaphor enabled Google to garner 47 million hits for the term "Jesus phone" within two years, and was fueled by a creation myth, which positioned the iPhone to be a savior, Steve Jobs to be a guru, the Apple brand to participate in canonization, and to be named superior to PC. Critics of Apple products used the religious iPhone allusions to label Mac users as fanatical, naive, and obsessed, and, as Campbell and La Pastina reveal, the feud resembled that of the Jews and the Gentiles, or believers and the non-believers. Campbell and La Pastina contend that the intersection of religion, technology, and new media is difficult to navigate, because of the porous nature of such topics, and the fine line between satire, criticism, and adoration. They assert that it also exemplifies the relationship between the media and the blogging world, as they interact to create new realms of discourse, and they acknowledge that Apple's shift from lauding technology as a god, to proclaiming that technology enables spiritual experience, has silenced some of the harsh criticism Jobs, and the Apple company, have endured.

Key Passages
The internal implications which technology and religious metaphors combine to create: "Infusing a technology with religious metaphors creates a storyline that inserts the technology into a larger conversation about the relationship between humanity and its limitations" (1195).

On the misconception that the Pope condemned technology (and the iPhone): "While several press accounts also noted the Pope's reference to the internet and interpreted it as a condemnation of technology, the central focus of the Pope's 'Urbi et Orbi' message (to the City [of Rome] and to the World) was not the challenging of technology, but rather questioning if society is still able to recognize that the Church offers a symbol of hope in the world" (1197).

The influence of religious discourse upon the labeling of Mac users: "Using a discourse of religious fanaticism to satirize the growing cult of Apple users, linked to the trend of cloaking Mac products and fans in terms of religious devotion, frames technofiles as being converts" (1198).

The flexibility of religious and technological intersections: "So religious framings of technology, even when they draw upon traditional symbols, are not static, but rather produce dynamic discourses" (1198).

Regarding the international press' reactions to the 'Jesus phone' metaphor: "...the international press saw the 'Jesus phone' imagery and framing as primarily an American phenomenon, one steeped in the visible presence of Christianity in everyday life" (1199).

On "the cult of Mac": "Highlighting Jobs as the hero of the 'cult of Macintosh' created a platform for casting Apple and its boss as a religious savior, further supported by the hero and resurrection myths found in the cult of Mac" (1200).

How comparing Jesus to Jobs cast him as a savior and a hero: "Highlighting Jesus as a savior matches the cult of Mac's hero myth, whereby Jobs serves as a redeemer figure. Presenting the revolutionary character of the 'Jesus phone', alluding to Jesus as a cultural transformer, also complements the counter-cultural nature of Mac products in a seemingly PC-dominated world" (1202).

On the implications of the [|']Jesus phone[|'] for new media: [|"]Thus, the iPhone as the 'Jesus phone' demonstrates how religion provides a broad cultural pallet that can be drawn on in discourses about new media" (1204)

Selected Works Cited
Davis, Erik. //Techgnosis//. New York: Harmony Books (1998). Print. Heidegger, Martin. //The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays//. Trans. Lovitt W. New York: Harper Torchbooks (1977). Print. Noble, D. F. //The Religion of Technology: The Divinity of Man and the Spirit of Invention//. New York: Penguin (1999). Print. Stahl, William. //God and the Chip: Religion and the Culture of Technology//. Waterloo, ON: Wilfred Laurier University Press (1999). Print. @http://iphoneappsnews1.blogspot.com/

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