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Fantasy, Apple Computer, and the Ethos of Silicon Valley

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Fantasy, Apple Computer, and the Ethos of Silicon Valley UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones May 2016 The Revolution Will Be Computed: Fantasy, Apple Computer, and the Ethos of Silicon Valley Misti Yang University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Mass Communication Commons, and the Rhetoric Commons Repository Citation Yang, Misti, "The Revolution Will Be Computed: Fantasy, Apple Computer, and the Ethos of Silicon Valley" (2016). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 2766. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/9112216 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE REVOLUTION WILL BE COMPUTED: FANTASY, APPLE COMPUTER, AND THE ETHOS OF SILICON VALLEY By Misti Yang Bachelor of Arts – American Studies Wellesley College 2001 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts – Communication Studies Department of Communication Studies Greenspun College of Urban Affairs The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2016 Copyright 2016 Misti Yang All Rights Reserved Thesis Approval The Graduate College The University of Nevada, Las Vegas April 14, 2016 This thesis prepared by Misti Yang entitled The Revolution Will Be Computed: Fantasy, Apple Computer, and the Ethos of Silicon Valley is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts – Communication Studies Department of Communication Studies Sara VanderHaagen, Ph.D. Kathryn Hausbeck Korgan, Ph.D. Examination Committee Chair Graduate College Interim Dean Jennifer Guthrie, Ph.D. Examination Committee Member Donovan Conley, Ph.D. Examination Committee Member Denise Tillery, Ph.D. Graduate College Faculty Representative ii Abstract My thesis undertakes a rhetorical analysis of the discourse surrounding the development of the personal computer and Apple Computer as a case study in Silicon Valley discourse. The analysis spans twenty years (1964-1984) starting with San Francisco-area computer hobbyist clubs and ending with the release of Macintosh by Apple Computer. Symbolic convergence theory (SCT) and fantasy theme analysis (FTA) provide the primary methodology for my work. Because SCT/FTA developed from small group communication research, they are fitting tools for understanding how small groups of people impassioned about building something new can impact public discourse. I connect SCT/FTA with a materialist approach to rhetoric, as well as affect theory and ethos. This methodological synthesis contributes to a broader understanding of the complex interplay between environments, objects, and symbols. I conclude that the development of the personal computer was supported by particular environments and five primary fantasies. The personal computer is (1) possible (2) revolutionary (3) democratizing (4) necessary and (5) user-friendly. iii Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... iii Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2: The Ethos of Silicon Valley and the Origins of Personal Computer Fantasy Themes (1964-1975) .................................................................................................................................. 27 Chapter 3: Personal Computer Fantasy Themes Go Corporate (1976-1984) .............................. 53 Chapter 4: Personal Computer Fantasy Themes Go Public (1976-1984) .................................... 82 Chapter 5: Conclusion................................................................................................................. 118 Appendix .................................................................................................................................... 141 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 142 Curriculum Vitae ....................................................................................................................... 147 iv Chapter 1: Introduction “Despite the impressiveness of the hardware the basic question remains, Why would any community of people conceive of building machines that would hasten mathematical computation and keep extensive records accurately, efficiently, and inexpensively?”1 This quote is from Ernest G. Bormann, originator of symbolic convergence theory (SCT) and fantasy theme analysis (FTA). When he posed the question in 1983, one year ahead of Apple Computer’s release of Macintosh, approximately 10% of American adults owned a home computer.2 Today, approximately 73% own a computer, and 68% own a smartphone, a device with more computing power than boasted by the 27-ton ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer that whirred to life in 1946.3 From 1946 to 1983 to today, the (r)evolution in computing power has been fast and far-reaching with our daily actions increasingly mediated by hardware and software. Instrumental in the evolution of computing technology was the development of the personal computer, a computer small enough and affordable enough for the average American to own. While Bormann may have been concerned with the original iteration of a computing machine, this thesis focuses on the personal computer because it was the first truly public computing machine. By public, I mean accessible and owned by many people. By attending to the language they used and the symbols they employed, I examine how the Silicon Valley pioneers of the personal computer depicted computers to each other and to the public. My research focuses primarily on an iconic Silicon Valley company, Apple Computer. Specifically, I look at the communication of Apple employees, Apple corporate communication, and Apple computers, as exemplars of the rhetoric that imbued the personal computer with value and moved it from an elite periphery to home desks across America. Bormann’s question above is particularly interesting because I employ his theory and methodology (SCT and FTA) in my 1 analysis. In order to capture the multifaceted dimensions of rhetoric that I see at work in the history of the personal computer, I incorporate the classic Greek concept of ethos and contemporary work in affect theory. I conclude that the personal computer was hastened by the interplay between material possibilities, affective connections, and symbolic compulsions of five primary fantasies: The personal computer was (1) possible (2) revolutionary (3) democratizing (4) necessary and (5) user-friendly. My interest in the development of the personal computer began with a question regarding the contemporary influence of Silicon Valley, a California region noted for its contribution to technology. Researching the region pointed me back to a scene of passionate microcomputer hobbyists high on the spirit of 1960s counterculture.4 In the newsletters and retellings of hobbyist club meetings I discovered stories and values that despite their years sounded similar to the narratives of Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook and other Silicon Valley founders and startups. As early as the 1950s there were stories of rebellious entrepreneurs taking risks with trailblazing innovations and striking figurative gold in the Valley of the Heart’s Delight.5 I realized that to understand Silicon Valley today I needed to understand where it began, and it began largely with silicon chips and microcomputers. Tracing the development of the microcomputer and its concurrent narratives led straight to the founding story of Apple and their personal computers.6 Apple offers an exemplary combination of narratives and objects for excavating the archetypal fantasies of the region— revolution and innovation, to name just two. The pervasiveness of computers today increases the significance of Bormann’s question as to “why” humans built computers in the first place. A computer mediated world is inescapable, and this thesis aims to understand both how the computer came to be and the implications of experiencing the world through a machine through an analysis of rhetoric. 2 Answering “why” contributes to a critical perspective on the impact of computers, and because of Silicon Valley’s role in the development of computers, on the nature of the region’s effect on the national ethos. To tackle these questions, I employ Bormann’s fantasy theme analysis to provide a rhetorical criticism of the texts that led to and popularized the personal computer. In the next section, I provide an overview of Bormann’s Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT) and fantasy theme analysis (FTA) and explain how my research utilizes both along with the concepts of ethos and affect theory. Bormann’s Symbolic Convergence Theory and Fantasy Theme
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