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Displeased with the cult yuppie social status symbolism of the iPhone...

princealfie

princealfie

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Mar 7, 2006
2,517
1
Salt Lake City UT
I admit that I was a formerly proud owner of the first iPhone (2G) but have disliked the gradually cultish nature of iPhone users over the years. I have met a lot of iPhone users nowadays and strangely enough, a lot of them express a particular self-absorption and lack of interest in the well-being of others for some odd reason.

I know that there isn't a scientific reason/explanation for a device affecting the personality of the iPhone owners or the culture of them as a group, but how can such a device have an impact on the lifestyles of these people. So my question is why are such people who are iPhone users tend to be ego-obsessed, yuppie-like, megacapitalist, arrogant, etc. etc. blah blah?

Case in point: I was on a recent date with lady who owned an iPhone and she couldn't keep her eyes off her iPhone all the time. After all, I would be hoping that I would have a word in straightedgewise once in awhile...?

(Btw, I myself am mostly a Palm Pre Plus and Android user mostly. I do use an iPad and iPhone for my art studio work so I am probably guilty of some of these qualities too?)

Anyways, regardless of political orientation, what is the sociological explanation for the cult yuppish nature and type A personalities of the iPhone owners? Feel free to flame on, but I'm actually interested in reasoned explanations of this mystery. :apple::confused:
 
princealfie said:
Case in point: I was on a recent date with lady who owned an iPhone and she couldn't keep her eyes off her iPhone all the time. After all, I would be hoping that I would have a word in straightedgewise once in awhile...?
Click to expand...

She was rude. She probably would have been rude even without an iPhone. Could have been worse. Who knows she might have been making passes at the waiting staff…

But really, OP, the people I know who own and use iPhones are no different from the ones who don't.

Your slightly unsatisfactory romantic encounter might just be colouring your views. ;)
 
I guess it is national generalization day. I don't feel as though I'm egotistical for owning anything. I guess it comes from the fact that I choose the phone that works best for me. I also now use a Droid and look at it as frequently as I looked at my previous iPhones.

As for your date, it could be that whatever was on iPhone was far more interesting and engaging than you. It happens, just drop her and find another girl. ;)
 
I am neither a yuppie or Type A and I have had an iPhone for a good while
It just does what I want and need from a device

I don't obsess over it
I use it without a case or bumper
I have no idea if it has a dead pixel or not or dust under the screen

I look at it when I get a text alert or an email notification

It is just a smart phone, nothing more, nothing less
 
princealfie said:
I admit that I was a formerly proud owner of the first iPhone (2G) but have disliked the gradually cultish nature of iPhone users over the years. I have met a lot of iPhone users nowadays and strangely enough, a lot of them express a particular self-absorption and lack of interest in the well-being of others for some odd reason.

I know that there isn't a scientific reason/explanation for a device affecting the personality of the iPhone owners or the culture of them as a group, but how can such a device have an impact on the lifestyles of these people. So my question is why are such people who are iPhone users tend to be ego-obsessed, yuppie-like, megacapitalist, arrogant, etc. etc. blah blah?

Case in point: I was on a recent date with lady who owned an iPhone and she couldn't keep her eyes off her iPhone all the time. After all, I would be hoping that I would have a word in straightedgewise once in awhile...?

(Btw, I myself am mostly a Palm Pre Plus and Android user mostly. I do use an iPad and iPhone for my art studio work so I am probably guilty of some of these qualities too?)

Anyways, regardless of political orientation, what is the sociological explanation for the cult yuppish nature and type A personalities of the iPhone owners? Feel free to flame on, but I'm actually interested in reasoned explanations of this mystery. :apple::confused:
Click to expand...

Maybe she thought the iPhone was better company?

Seriously, why you didn't hit her with your iPhone users are self-involved yuppie ******s hypothesis. I'm sure that would have reeled her back in...
 
To be honest, I've found it to be the exact opposite here in the UK: The vast majority of people who I see with a smartphone have an iPhone and they just use it without exuding any air of cultishness or perceived superiority.
As others have said, rude people will be rude irrespective of their choice of gadget...
 
It must be down to where you live.

Most of the iPhone owners I know are just normal working class people like myself. It's available on all the main networks in the UK, you can get them free on a £45 contract and it's also on non-contract and PAYG.

It's no longer an exclusive item so I don't see why people would think owning one makes them feel special.
 
I absolutely agree. I'm an iPhone user, as well as having an iPad (which I don't know how to use) and and iMac (which I don't know how to use), but by gosh, they all look cool.

I derive great pleasure from spitting on the homeless, kicking puppies, cutting in line, checking my Facebook status while trying to pay for my groceries and other boorish behavior, all while using my iPhone. While I don't get a lot of talk time on it since everyone I know is beneath me and not worthy of talking to me on my iPhone, I make sure that everyone in my general vicinity knows that I'm an iPhone user.
 
You should have said "May I see your iPhone for a second?", then grabbed the iPhone and slammed it down on the ground and stomped on it with your boots. Then kindly hand it back to her and say "wow, it really is as durable as I thought".
 
mkruck said:
I derive great pleasure from spitting on the homeless, kicking puppies, cutting in line, checking my Facebook status while trying to pay for my groceries and other boorish behavior, all while using my iPhone. While I don't get a lot of talk time on it since everyone I know is beneath me and not worthy of talking to me on my iPhone, I make sure that everyone in my general vicinity knows that I'm an iPhone user.
Click to expand...

LoL visualizing this made me laugh so hard my roommate woke up :p

thanks for starting my day off with a smile mkruck :)
 
princealfie said:
I admit that I was a formerly proud owner of the first iPhone (2G) but have disliked the gradually cultish nature of iPhone users over the years. I have met a lot of iPhone users nowadays and strangely enough, a lot of them express a particular self-absorption and lack of interest in the well-being of others for some odd reason.

I know that there isn't a scientific reason/explanation for a device affecting the personality of the iPhone owners or the culture of them as a group, but how can such a device have an impact on the lifestyles of these people. So my question is why are such people who are iPhone users tend to be ego-obsessed, yuppie-like, megacapitalist, arrogant, etc. etc. blah blah?

Case in point: I was on a recent date with lady who owned an iPhone and she couldn't keep her eyes off her iPhone all the time. After all, I would be hoping that I would have a word in straightedgewise once in awhile...?

(Btw, I myself am mostly a Palm Pre Plus and Android user mostly. I do use an iPad and iPhone for my art studio work so I am probably guilty of some of these qualities too?)

Anyways, regardless of political orientation, what is the sociological explanation for the cult yuppish nature and type A personalities of the iPhone owners? Feel free to flame on, but I'm actually interested in reasoned explanations of this mystery. :apple::confused:
Click to expand...
That pretty much sums up everyone I know who has a mobile phone of any kind; they just can't stop fiddling with the bloody things :eek:
 
mkruck said:
I derive great pleasure from spitting on the homeless, kicking puppies, cutting in line, checking my Facebook status while trying to pay for my groceries and other boorish behavior, all while using my iPhone. While I don't get a lot of talk time on it since everyone I know is beneath me and not worthy of talking to me on my iPhone, I make sure that everyone in my general vicinity knows that I'm an iPhone user.
Click to expand...

Post...of....the.....day :D
 
I think this thread is funny. My BF gave me an iPhone last year, and now I'm on it all the time. I really don't know how I ever lived without it. He is in it with me though; we text each other while sitting side by side, share fun apps, discuss upcoming models/releases. (No we're not teens; both of us are middle-aged geeks.)

I notice people without iPhones more than I do those with them. I feel sorry for the people who don't have one! :eek: NBD though.

My parents have made the comment, while I was having dinner with them once, that I was being rude texting while sitting at the table with them. BUT, in my defense, I rarely take phone calls while out with others. :cool:
 
Its really a good way to single idiots out. Not people that use iphones. Just people that think that they've reached a certain status because they have a $200 phone. Its not that great of an accomplishment. If someone really displays being stuck up because they have a fancy phone, then its an easy way to say, "I shouldn't date this person."

I wouldn't separate myself from the phone because you think thats how the majority of its users feel about themselves, because you're really just looking way to far into something as simple as owning a phone, aren't you?
 
princealfie said:
what is the sociological explanation for the cult yuppish nature and type A personalities of the iPhone owners?
Click to expand...
Dude, you yourself seem to be fascinated (bothered? obsessed?) by people who are fascinated with their iPhones.

Sounds like you have a bigger problem than those you accuse. :D

And Me? I find my iPhone more interesting than half the women I ever dated. Does that mean I'm obsessed or were they just butt ugly?
 
Picture this:

1) Middle-aged couple at breakfast, man buried behind newspaper (yes an old fashioned image bear with me) barely acknowledging his wife;

2) Self-absorbed wife chatting on a phone (old rotary fixed phone) barely acknowledging her husband.

3) Modern 21st century couple both absorbed with their smartphone-viva gender equality!! :D
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_6 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8E200 Safari/6533.18.5)

I think you ar simply running in the wrong circles. I own an iPhone and I donate to charities, volunteer at a local soup kitchen, and am perfectly capably of putting my phone away for a date. I think blamIng on the phone is ridiculous.
 
Do you know what she was doing on the phone while on your date?

Could have been checking in on a friend or loved one in the hospital, could have been one of those apps that let you monitor your home and she was watching the babysitter to make sure a kid was ok....who knows.
 
Maybe you weren't attractive enough towards your date...

Just because she didn't like you doesn't necessarily give you a reason to come up with this crap... :rolleyes:
 
sdpics said:
Do you know what she was doing on the phone while on your date?

Could have been checking in on a friend or loved one in the hospital, could have been one of those apps that let you monitor your home and she was watching the babysitter to make sure a kid was ok....who knows.
Click to expand...


Or texting her bootycall about how she was out with some guy who is paying for her dinner and drinks.
 
I worried about that kind of stuff when I was in my teens... now I just get the things/music/movies etc. that I want and enjoy and don't worry about the social implications.

That said, almost everyone I know has an iPhone and they're definitely not yuppies, and I think they're all pretty down-to-earth.
 
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