Hi everyone. My name is Kayla and I’m a 19-year-old sophomore from Oneonta, New York. I know – you haven’t heard of it – but it’s an upstate, small town near Cooperstown with weather comparable to the ever-temperate Ithaca. Here at Cornell, I’m an Industrial and Labor Relations major with a concentration in Information Science (random, I know :-P). I’m also a Cornell Tradition fellow, a member of Shadows Dance Troupe, and the new Layout and Design Manager for Voices magazine (we just distributed our latest issue on Religion and Politics, so check it out!). I work at Cornell Fitness Centers, volunteer as a free Tax Preparer at a Credit Union downtown, love dancing, rock climbing, guitar, running, and doing anything my mother deems dangerous. I want to be a lawyer, and that’s generally the plan.
Though the Internet rarely fails to fascinate me in more ways than one, I find myself currently questioning the ongoing obsession with ringtones. This includes all of those websites dedicated to ringtone downloads, creating custom ringtones, and tricking you into monthly fees just so that the latest T-Pain song will play every time you accidentally leave your phone on in lecture. The advertisements seem to be everywhere I look – from the Internet, to my television, to those annoying text messages received on my mobile phone. Though I held out for a long time (using the classic ring sound or vibrate when appropriate), I admittedly starting using music about a year ago and still have no idea why. I find my ringtones annoying; and yet when it comes time to choose one, I can’t help but think it’s a reflection of me – just like the clothing I wear, or the things I do – and thus very important. In reality, my ringtone probably does nothing more than remind friends of my poor musical taste, embarrass me in formal situations, or musically assault innocent bystanders when I get a call (because – and I think you know what I mean here – that thing seems louder every time).
Perhaps ringtone websites belong in the “World Wide Web” category as just another thing people are looking for, though I doubt Wallace could have anticipated such an interesting phenomenon. From a technological standpoint, however, I hesitate to neglect the “interactive video and voice” category. After all, cellular phones have come a long way in recent years, making accessing the Internet, downloading, playing and storing ringtones on a phone possible. One could certainly draw parallels between the technological advances necessary for elaborate phones and ringtones, and the technological advances occurring in the “interactive video and voice” category – particularly in terms of sound technology.
And just for good measure: check out phonezoo.com. You can make a ringtone from any song on your computer and download it using your phone for free ;)
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