We’re Known by our Toys

THIS JUST IN: our society defines itself by its technology.

I know, I know. That’s a shocking statement, but let’s move quickly to acceptance, shall we? Humanity is beginning to truly realize its essence when we are creating, and so we create and build things, and use those things to make our lives easier, and thus we are very proud of those things. It’s the beginning of a theology of technology, and it’s a very natural…and, at it’s core, I’d say it’s a very good…inclination.

At first blush, though, those of us who don’t like to succumb to trendy things might see it as a mindless, materialistic “keeping up with the Jonses.” We might push back a bit (I remember when using a Mac or an iPhone was different, instead of trendy), perhaps by refusing to use what we prefer if it becomes too popular with everyone else (well, I still use my iPhone, but a lot of my colleagues are Android users…).

It’s just that sort of thing, though, that leads to some interesting statements about ourselves. When e-readers were becoming all the rage, I read an article (somewhere…the location escapes me at the moment) that humorously discussed how the Kindle would remove the status of literary snob. After all, no one could tell that it was A Tale of Two Cities that you were reading on the subway, only that you were carrying a spiffy little device.

Two jobs or so ago, I had a desk between two of my colleagues. The guy on my left used a PC laptop and carried an Android phone. I was in the middle with my all-Apple gear. The girl on my right was the most diversified…she used a PC laptop, an Android phone, and an iPad. Maybe I’m just geeky enough to notice something like that, but I think that it says something about us, something about the new way that we assess each others’ personalities.

Because we’re now not just reading A Tale of Two Cities on the subway with an e-reader. We could be using a Nook instead of a Kindle, or any number of tablets. Instead of noticing the book cover, we notice someone’s device preferences (which is a sad commentary on an increasingly illiterate society, but I digress).

Sometimes, especially among the geekier circles in which I make a living, I’ll hear people argue over things that I thought weren’t really things that we debate any longer. Mac or PC, iOS or Android. I’ve actually heard people argue over what’s better, as though there were some personality flaw involved with someone choosing to still carry a Blackberry.

I think, though, that the reason is because we’re looking for a way to stand out, to identify ourselves to others in a society (and especially in a workforce) that prizes homogeny and doing what’s popular. The thing with the diversity in the types of innovations that we create in our striving to fully realize our humanity is that they are created by different personality types, with different personality types in mind. Someone who uses an Android phone wants a completely different experience than I want. I want a totally different experience by reading on a Nook than someone else would expect with a Kindle. The issue is both the device and what the device accesses, as well as how it accesses it. Visual aesthetics are different. Different individuals are more concrete or abstract than others, and need a different sort of information structure to navigate the web that connects us to the world (a web that increasingly becomes a necessity).

So, as much as I want to tell you how much my Mac is better than your PC, there is no right or wrong answer here. What is present is an opportunity to learn about the person sitting next to you, to begin to understand how they think. That leads to understanding how they see the world. And that leads to understanding how we are more alike than different.

Which is just possibly how a theology of technology may begin.

Who said collecting expensive toys was a bad thing?