Journalism and American Democracy

As our semester comes to a close, so does our time as iPad owners. I will admit, I am sad to see them go.

This iPad is the first and only Apple product I’ve ever owned, and I will say I was impressed. And, I understood the theory behind why our class received them for free this semester. However, I am not quite sure I took full advantage of owning one for a brief time.

I’m not saying that these aren’t amazing tools, because they are. They made my life and things I did incredibly efficient, and using them in other classes in order to go paperless was huge. However, that’s just about all I used mine for, aside from a couple of apps, which I could have just as easily downloaded to my smartphone (which is even more convenient due to its size) or accessed on my laptop (which is, for me, more user-friendly due to the ease of typing). Plus, nobody wants to be “that person” who carries an iPad everywhere and uses it for everything. It’s a silly stigma, but I will admit that I sometimes hesitated to use it even just to access readings in other classes because I didn’t want my classmates to judge me as the girl with the iPad who flaunted it everyday.

I do understand that the underlying reasoning for having iPads this semester was to use it to explore different publics and to identify now means of communication and journalism, and I think it was successful to this end. Like I said before, I’m kind of disappointed in myself for not taking the time to fiddle around with mine a little more and see what other neat things I could take advantage of for the semester, but, who knows — maybe someday I’ll have a tablet that’s mine forever (but not an iPad. As long as I’m my father’s daughter, Apple products are off-limits. Samsung Galaxy Note anyone?).

As someone who has never used an iPad before this semester, I am still trying to figure out exactly how a tablet device fits into my daily schedule, habits for media interaction, and means for consuming news and information. The iPad is very useful in that it packages many significant capabilities into an easily portable device, yet at the same time I have not solidly identified distinct ways and times in which I would use my iPad instead of my laptop. I feel at times like I am experiencing “technology overload” with so many means and sources by which to access news and information.

I want to first make clear, however, that I really enjoy having an iPad at my disposal. “Apps” can be really cool and useful in that they let you jump quickly to a specific source, utility, or category of information, and many apps pull stories and features from a variety of media outlets, which allows you to obtain an overview of relevant news in a minimal search time. The number and variety of apps available for download is tremendous, and I have found some apps related to personal interests that are often fun and helpful to have handy. The iPad also has fairly high-quality camera and film features, and these can be nice to have in a portable device. Aside from the nice leisure features, the apps on the iPad do allow me to access news in a sometimes quicker, more direct, and comprehensive fashion.

At the same time, I feel that the majority of the basic functions I perform on my iPad can also easily be done on my laptop. While apps on the iPad are often useful in that they are quicker to access and use, the information itself can still be accessed fairly easily on my computer, and sometimes I feel like I have two devices that serve largely the same purpose. With a portable device like the iPad, I think it has the potential to set an internal expectation for the consumer to constantly be looking up and taking in news and information. Similar to how Lippmann expressed concern that the amount of news was becoming too big for the public to absorb and interpret, the iPad presents so many capabilities and so much news that it can be a bit overwhelming to try to harness its full potential. The iPad has a wonderful interface and presents many terrific opportunities, but sometimes it feels like there is just not enough time in a day to utilize the iPad to a great extent. The iPad does present me with many great new ways to access news, but it sometimes feels like it is a bit unnecessary for me as well.

Compared to many of my classmates at Notre Dame, I am relatively resistant to technology and social media. While I do have a MacBook Pro, which I love dearly, and am an avid Facebook user, this is where my technological capabilities end. Prior to this class, I never even considered getting a Twitter, despite various attempts at cajoling by my friends. My lack of an iPhone makes me somewhat of an anomaly at Notre Dame. Since my computer can be a bit heavy to carry around all day, I am often in the position of being unplugged from the news and social media while I am away from my room. Ever since getting the iPad for our class, I have become much more aware of events going on throughout the day. When I leave my room, the iPad is now the first thing I put in my bag, as if it would be tragic if I did not have it for the day, when somehow I had previously managed without it for 20 years.
The iPad has allowed me to remain connected with news of all kinds in a manner that was previously not possible for me. I check Flipboard between classes to get a glimpse at any important stories that may have transpired in the last hour or so. While I absolutely appreciate the opportunity to be more efficacious in my relationship with the news, the iPad also provides boundless opportunities to procrastinate. I realized that I had reached a new low when I was checking Twitter and Facebook on my iPad while watching Netflix on my computer. Do I realize that is my own fault for allowing myself to be distracted? Yes. Do I take responsibility for it? No. It is definitely the iPad’s fault.
In all seriousness, though, having the iPad has caused me to interact with the news in new and different ways through the use of such apps as Flipboard and the Pioneer Press app, which I prefer to the full site because of it being more neatly laid out with fewer advertisements. However, possession of the iPad has also raised the question with me, how connected do I truly want to be? For the purpose of this class, having the news literally at my fingertips at all times is a fantastic thing. However, do I want to foster an addiction to my email, Twitter, Facebook, and various news apps beyond this class? Check back with me at the end of the semester.