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And the Mac store has that air too, more so than any place I've ever been....if you don't buy a mac then you are not as good as the rest of us.
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I totally agree with you.
Indie coffee shops are not about drinking coffee,
Mac computers are not about working on a computer,
Iphones are not about making phone calls,
Facebook is not about connecting with friends!
They are identity-markers for a group of people of certain age, class...The whole point is to create the feeling of being different, important, and sought after. A student said in my tutorial discussion that he would like to bring a date to Starbucks (maybe not really indie) because the environment made him feel "intellectual". It is not a surprise you see so many young or want-to-be young Mac computer users in Starbucks, especially sitting next to the window. It is a show of a "special" lifestyle, unfortunately a lifestyle created and sold by the industries.
Of course there are people who do work in coffee shops with no intention to be a spectacle. (I believe everyone in this forum belongs to this category!) Of course every product we buy is an expression of who we are or want to be. I just feel the fever for the overpriced Apple goes too far to look smart. If I want to know a person, I see what phone and computer he/she uses and which coffee shop he goes, and if he log on facebook ten times a day. I know it is stereotyping but I can't help :-))
Is an E-book reader about reading? I don't know. I mostly read at home, never in a coffee shop. If not for the handy dictionaries, I would rather read a paper book in the subway. It is just me. I don't want people pay attention to my gadget and think I am reading a best-seller. There is nothing wrong with best-sellers. Another self-image issue.