OPINION
One Ringy-Dingy
By Dick Kaser
Maybe we just get too old to appreciate new things. Maybe we just get too
tired of figuring new stuff out. Maybe it's because we just grow too wise to
even want to get near the bleeding edge of technology. Or maybe it's because
some new bells and whistles are really best-suited for the young.
These are the thoughts I'm left with after trying to select a cell-phone
ring tone that would not only fit with my personality but would project the
right image if my phone happened to ring during an important meeting.
As I sorted through long lists of tunes, titles, and artists at various Web
sites, I kept picturing the woman who went scurrying from one of our conferences
after her phone started to play strains of the immortal Cyndi Lauper song "Girls
Just Want to Have Fun."
Yes, a lot of these melodies are catchy, but before you select one you'd
best know the lyrics that go with it.
I had a tough time selecting a tune myself.
There were lots of familiar ditties and old favorites in the playlists. And
although I thought it would be ironically amusing for my phone to ring
with Steely Dan's "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" or the Beatles' "Hello, Goodbye," how
long is that going to be funny?
I toyed with the "Theme from Mission Impossible" and "Working for the Weekend," but
what would my boss think?
I considered "Hail to the Chief" (too conservative), "Born to Be Wild" (too
liberal), and "Purple Haze" (too '60s).
What's it all about? I don't know.
Industry analysts tell me that the ring-tone market is worth $3 billion worldwide
and $140 million in the U.S. this year. They point out that it's all part of
the trend toward personalization, customization, and user self-expression.
And it's even got some social-networking aspects since these tunes play on
a phone and might, one would presume, attract a certain circle of like-minded
friends.
Coming from a guy who never changed the default ring tone on his old phone
(very confusing in crowds), it should have come as no surprise to me that what
I really wanted was something that sounded like a phone.
Just one ringy-dingy would be just fine with me.
Maybe it's because we get too old, too wise, or too lazy to try new things,
or maybe it's because some fads are really best-suited for the young.
In this vast world of techno-possibilities, the oddest things catch on and
take off.
What is a ring tone after all than just another T-shirt emblazoned with a
slogan? It's a way to make a statement as you walk around through life.
And in the end, I guess it's all about human nature.
There's no denying that today's gadgets empower individuals to have a personal
experience, to express themselves in the process, and to project their personalities
in new and interesting ways. Phones do say the darndest things about their
owners these days.
Me? I'm going to keep looking for the tone that sounds like a phone. And
when I find it, I guess you can say I'll be making my own statement.
Dick Kaser is Information Today, Inc.'s vice president of
content. His e-mail address is kaser@infotoday.com.
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