This week in my Media Law and Literacy class we learned about Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations (or Ideas) shown in the picture above. For any innovation or idea you think of, you can view it through the lens of this theory. However, some ideas never make it out of the Exploratory Era which is under the 'innovators' section of the bell curve. In this blog post, I am going to explore the innovation of the camera phone through this theory.
The Exploratory Era for the camera phone was in 1997 when the first noted pioneer or innovator, Philippe Kahn, created the idea of the camera phone. He did this by connecting his camera to his flip phone through a computer. He was then able to take a picture of his newborn daughter and send it to 2,000 people in real-time which before this was unheard of.
It was not until two years later that the first commercial camera phone, the Kyocera Visual Phone VP-210, was created. It was released in Japan in May of 1999. This phone could transmit and receive messages in real-time and store up to 20 JPEG images. The early adopters of the camera phone used it because it was a new technology that provided an easy way to take pictures and share those images with others. It allowed for a whole new form of communication to take place.
It took awhile for the camera phone trend to hit the U.S. In November 2002, over two years since the Samsung SCH-V200 launched in South Korea, the Sanyo SCP-5300 (also known as the Sanyo Katana) went on sale in America. This idea was able to catch on and spread when it became more accessible. Not only were more people owning cellphones, but they were also owning cellphones with a camera built into them. Once someone saw others using one, they wanted to join in on the convenience.
I believe the tipping point is when phones without cameras became less accessible. Today most people who have cellphones have one with a camera and it is typically a smartphone. It is hard to find a cellphone that does not have a camera.
Those who do not have a camera phone are to be put under the 'laggards' section of the bell curve. There could be a few reasons some people do not own a camera phone. One reason is that maybe they are old such as in their 80's and find no reason to have one. They did not grow up with cellphones or even ones with a camera, therefore, they find no reason to own one. Another reason could be that someone cannot afford the device. No matter what the innovation or idea is there will always be a small percent that never joins in on the use of it or only joins when they are forced to.
To learn more about camera phones and their negative and positive impacts check out my other blog post here.
Individual Self-Fulfillment: Free speech enables individuals to express themselves and thereby create their own identify — and, in the process perhaps, find kindred spirits. Freedom of speech thus becomes an aspect of human dignity, human agency, and autonomy.
This technology-driven world where virtually everyone shares their opinion through an online medium in one way or another has pushed me to believe that Individual Self-Fulfillment is the most important value of Free Expression. Without the ability to post one's opinions on social media or a blog post like I am right now, there would essentially be no point for these mediums to exist. As I scroll through social media it is flooded with opinions, whether they are about certain events happening in the world, a person, a product, or their political views. As humans we desire to voice our opinion on things that matter to us. Without someone being able to share their personal opinions with others it would result in them feeling restricted.
Luckily, through the First Amendment, Americans receive six freedoms, freedom of speech, freedom from religion, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom to petition. The First Amendment serves not only the needs of the polity but the needs of the human spirit–a spirit that demands self-expression. The fulfillment that comes from speech is intertwined with a one's power to think, imagine, and create. Without the ability to speak one's mind, the United States would be a very different place than it is today.
This week in class every student did a presentation on the evolution of different technologies, my presentation was on the evolution of the camera phone. Every presentation opened up my eyes to how technologically advanced our world has become. The following is what I presented.
In 1997, Philippe Kahn created the idea of the camera phone by connecting a camera to his flip phone through his computer. His idea of this invention was sparked by the birth of his daughter. He took a picture of his newborn daughter and then sent this photo to 2,000 people in real-time, which was unheard of at the time.
The first commercial camera phone was the Kyocera Visual Phone VP-210. It was released in May 1999 by Kyocera Corporation in Japan and it retailed at $335 which was considered to be expensive back then. It had a 110,000-pixel front-facing camera which some people did not understand the need for the camera being on the front. However, today almost everyone uses their front-facing camera whether it is to FaceTime someone or take a selfie. This phone could transmit and receive images in real-time which is something that has become normalized and expected through the advancement of technology today. Lastly, it could store up to 20 JPEG images, which is an extremely small amount compared to storage on smartphones today.
The camera phone has impacted society today in numerous ways. Today it is hard to find a phone without a built-in camera. The cameras in smartphones have become so advanced that it negatively impacts photographers and their business. People may think why hire a photographer when I can take just as good of photos on my phone? In addition, it can impact the photo printing business because most people no longer print their photos because it is all stored on their phones. However, the ability to combine communication and imaging has allowed people to stay connected with one another.
Through the use of social media such as Instagram or Snapchat people have the ability to share what the are doing when they are doing it. This too can have negative impacts as one can become addicted to social media and people can judge others' quality of life based on what they post.
To learn more about the impact camera phones have on the world today click here.
