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Original posting: April 2003 Issue
by JENNIFER CHANG, editor-in-chief
A few month’s back a computer worm, a program that replicates itself rapidly and exploits a flaw in Microsoft's Windows 2000 software, made it’s way around the world via Internet. The troublesome little bug, called the “SQL Slammer”, created a huge amount of traffic for computer systems everywhere. Its affect in the U.S. was felt in a very small way, however. A few scattered hospital and computer banking systems were hit, but business went on as usual, albeit a bit slower. If I recall correctly, the affect was minimal enough that when I watched the news broadcast that night to find out why my father was stuck at work at such an ungodly hour, I had to sit through some report about Britney Spears’ potential stalker before finding out about the worm. It was a very different story on the other side of the world, however. Online services were practically crippled in South Korea, and business came to a near standstill. In South Korea, 70 percent of households have Internet access.
In America, we generally pride ourselves in how technologically advanced our society has become. Many of us consider ourselves the forerunner when it comes to developing and integrating technology for use in daily life. It would certainly burst a lot of bubbles if people here found out that this is simply not the case. To see why, we examine a phenomenon in Japan and South Korea, which Americans have ethno-centrically dubbed “hypermodernity”.
Many American visitors, without a doubt, have their expectations overturned when they step off a plane in Japan or South Korea. What many of us would believe in our minds to be very quaint, simple, exotic cultures with quaint, simple, exotic ways prove to be the opposite. The Japanese and South Koreans are actually more “wired” and “plugged-in” than the majority of Americans. In certain respects, we are the “simple” or “quaint” ones. Nevertheless, cultural pride prevents us from acknowledging them as the truly “modern” ones. Seen in relation to us, therefore, they are deemed “hypermodern”.
On a recent visit to South Korea, Mark Lee was able to see this phenomenon first-hand. He informed me that he had seen people using the cell phone-camera in South Korea long before they were even introduced in the United States. He recalls an instance when the person he was staying with used her cell phone and he had been amazed at how advanced it seemed in comparison to the cellular phones we use in America. “That’s a really cool cell phone,” he remembered telling her. It was small, thin, lightweight, and had a color-screen. “I wish we had phones like that in America.” She then told him that it was a really old phone that she was using because she had recently lost her new one.
Lee confirms the statistic mentioned above; almost everyone has a T1/DSL Internet connection in South Korea. The notion of using a dial-up modem seems almost absurd to them, and yet plenty of people still haven’t made the switch-over here. Lee also mentioned that what technology we have here in limited form is already used everywhere in South Korea. There, almost all crosswalk signals have timers on them that let you know with a digital display how many seconds you have left to cross the street. Remember when you first heard about those toilets that spray your behind with warm soapy water and blow-dries it when you’re done with your business (the “Bidet”)? They never seemed to catch on here in America, but in many households in South Korea, it is a common appliance. Here in America, there is an emerging form of entertainment known as the “PC Room” – a place where 30-some computers are connected and therefore allow users to interact with each other in games. In South Korea, there is already one on every block. If it seems eerie to you that this form of recreation is just as popular as any outdoor sport, it should be even more chilling for you to know that many subway terminals and cars in South Korea have mounted flat screens that continuously play a string of commercials and music videos for your enjoyment. Though this may bring to mind Speilberg’s dismal portrayal of the future in his movie “Minority Report” where the average citizen can do nothing to escape exposure to advertisement, it is undeniable that this seems to be good for South Korea’s economy, which has historically never been in a better state than it is in now.
If all this seems inconceivable to you already, it will be even harder for you to believe the level of technology present in Japan, which has, since the second World War, been the leader in developing the tools of the future. Chromehorse.net reports on the Japanese spin on the toilet technology first developed in Europe: “Toto is one the leading manufacturers in Japan (60% of the domestic market) and brags about a toilet that is responsive to voice commands. What exactly would you like to command your toilet to do? Open the lid. Spray hotter water and more soap. Massage your butt. You name it. Oh but wait. Is that all you imagine a 21st century toilet can do? You don’t think big enough! The 21st century toilet samples your urine, your weight, and your blood pressure, and sends it’s findings off to your doctor via the Internet! Yes, we finally have the ultimate browser, and it ain’t Internet Explorer”
Mariko Koshimaru, a UCLA student from Japan tells of a town in Japan, Akihabara, where all the latest technology is sold. She also knows of many people who are addicted to frequenting that town so that they can stay on top of it all. She explains that the reason why technology advances at such a quick pace in Japan is that there is a constant demand for something newer, better, and smaller. This is true not only with regards to technology but also of fashion. Mariko says that when the latest fashions from Paris hit the shelves, many Japanese women make it a habit to go out and buy them right away. For this reason, the culture and the technology itself is always changing. “If you’re not there constantly, you get lost,” she explains, “I’m already lost!”
Although Mariko may already be behind in her knowledge of the latest developments in Japan, what she can remember from her past visit already surpasses anything we have here in America. “You know those CD Walkmans everyone uses here? No one uses those anymore in Japan. They have Mini-disc walkmans.” She says that they have as much if not more storage than your average CD, and are smaller as an added bonus. It seems strange indeed that the mini-disc is still practically unheard of here. Her description of what cell phones are capable of was equally astonishing. The cell phones in Japan not only have emailing and picture-taking functions, but they also have the equivalent to “webcams” in them, meaning you can send live footage or video clips over cell phone connections and view them on the screens. Technology also has found its way into the public bathrooms in school. Mariko says that at her old high school, every bathroom was equipped with a machine that drowned out the sound of urination.
Some would say that with the omnipresence of technological devices that the degree to which technology affects daily life, the phrase “hypermodenity” is fitting. It can be quite overwhelming to be immersed into a culture where there are more computers than there are people, or where technology makes life so convenient for people that it seems we barely have to do much for ourselves at all anymore. Perhaps it is a fear of losing our humanity or our supremacy over machines that keeps Americans from accepting new technology into our daily lives. The Japanese and South Koreans seem less hindered by such fears however, and regardless of whether you feel this is a good or bad thing, it is undeniable that it has made business more efficient and life easier for the people who have accepted this wave of technology into their lives.
Special thanks to Mark Lee and Mariko Koshimaru for the interviews!
Info and picture sources: Geckobeach.com, Chromehorse.net, Dynamism.com
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