May 15, 2005

While metrosexuals worry over their looks and how they carry themselves around, their mod-squad cousins, the technosexuals, represent the Wild Wild East, toting their mobile phones as their ultimate weapon of communication and entertainment, and as a symbol of their supposedly refined tastes

CHATTERING, laughing, buzzing, he gazes into the space and looks right through it into oblivion. He is sitting amidst the crowd, yet he is detached from the surroundings and oblivious of everyone around him. No, he is not a loony. Neither is he soliloquizing, nor is he conversing with the Higher Force. He is merely talking to a pal on his mobile phone, while waiting for his other friends to show up!

The conversation comes to an end, but he affectionately keeps playing with his mobile and running his fingers through his streaked hair. Perhaps he is sending out a text message, checking his e-mail, playing a game or resetting the ring tone. You know him, don’t you? He is the technosexual, a mod-squad cousin of the Metrosexual.

It seems that metrosexuality has a new alley. Day by day, the majority of our male populace is becoming mindful of the way they look, present themselves, how they carry themselves around and what gadgets they use. Move over you regular Joes, the technosexual male is here! It’s the urbanized Wild Wild East and our technosexual Joes are toting their mobile phones as their ultimate weapon of communication, of entertainment and as a symbol of their refined tastes. So who exactly is a technosexual male and where does he come from? Here is how the official technosexual site (www.technosexual.org) and urban dictionary (www.urbandictionary.com) set out to define him:

The technosexual (TEK.noh.sek.shoo.ul) n. dandyish; narcissist in love with not only himself, but also his urban lifestyle & gadgets; a straight man who is in touch with his feminine side, but has fondness for electronics such as cell phones, PDAs, computers, software and the web.

The founder of www.technosexual.org is Ricky Montalvo and he wants to take technosexuals to the mainstream. He opines: “With metrosexuality, it’s about style, fashion, culture and grooming for the straight male. A metrosexual man may be seen at an NBA game one night and an art gallery opening the next. A technosexual man may not need to go to the NBA game because he can get highlights and scores via SMS or by browsing the web on his PDA while at the art gallery. Technosexual is a term for people who are into lifestyle, fashion, home and grooming. But we take it one step further and we use gadgets as our new fashion accessory.” In short, the technosexual revolution is all about a geek transmutation into the stylish and vice versa.

IS IT GENDER-SPECIFIC? Well, it so very is, just like metrosexuality; or at least that’s how Montalvo sees it. But what about that minor portion of techno-savvy females, where do they fit in? Montalvo admits, “Women have always had style, so I tend to think that they would define their own movement, which I would love to see. If [they] were working wirelessly at a cafe, pulled out a PDA, or mentioned the word Bluetooth, then maybe I’d say [they were] headed in the right direction.” So as for now, it’s the technosexual male who exclusively rules the roost, reigns the domain. No longer is he willing to lurk backstage or in the background behind a female model.

Be it fashion shoots, catwalks, billboards or glossy fashion magazines, the technosexual has taken the centre stage. With his spiked, jelled back, bleached or streaked hair, a goatee or a frenchy, designer wear, complimenting accessories and gadgets; today’s urban male is a phenomenon in his own right.

Now now, before the male readership begins to take offence from this statement, allow me to clarify. I meant the aforesaid as a compliment. Thanks to metrosexuals and technosexuals, we womenfolk no longer have to be apologetic about our indulgence neither in fashion fads and shopping sprees, nor of our devotion to the makeup kits and beauty products. In fact, befriending a technosexual comes with benefits. Unlike a narcissist Metrosexual, a technosexual buddy is most of the time enthusiastically willing to help you out with the setting up of your computer and its troubleshooting issues.

So why do gadgets and designer labels appeal to the technosexual sensibilities? As suggested by Montalvo, it is in fact the lack of having the feminine grooming accessories that drives technosexuals towards gadgets. He says: “You know, guys don’t have accessories like purses and jewellry, and don’t spend money on makeup, so why not spend it on cell phones and cool messenger bags and watches.”

Having defined the term technosexuality itself, its connotations and implications; let’s now take into account what role gadgets in general and a mobile phone in particular play in the lives of technosexuals.

THE ULTIMATE BOY TOY: Of course, technosexuality is all about PDAs, laptops, DVD players, camcorders, even coffee-makers and portable vacuums. But in our society’s context, the mobile till date remains the most portable and individual mode of expression. Pakistan has the fastest growing cell phone market, according to a commentary contained in the Tech News World.

The mobile phone is the ultimate gizmo gadget, the eye candy! It comes in gazillion sizes, shapes and colours, with mind-boggling features. It’s a part phone, part pager, part camera and part internet gadget, and this isn’t the end of it. A full constituency of mobile users thrives on the style and status that come with owning the latest full-featured phones rather then security, connectivity and convenience.

Males, until now, have remained the prime customers of mobile phones; it’s a fact that has been validated by numerous mobile phone sellers that I have talked to. While it’s true that both the genders are equally conscious about image and style, when it comes to the purchase of their mobiles, it is the technosexual male who attempts to understand and utilize the features of his prized gadgets, especially the mobile, to the max. Guys are more likely to download the latest ring tones and other java-based applications to their mobiles. Thus, the analogy that boys have always been fascinated with toys has never been truer.

Technosexuals are everywhere. Walking down the street corner, riding the public transport, thronging at the cafes, socializing at the parties, these guys are everywhere, consistently seen at work or at play with their mobile phones. Technosexuals are making their presence felt on the social scene. Part jazzy, part geeky; they are enjoined together by shared passions.

THE TECHNOSEXUAL CAMARADERIE: It is rightly said that the birds of the same feather flock together. Camaraderie is all about shared interests. That’s why technosexual males connect well and hit off instantly. I have had some amusing observations of this phenomenon at my former work place, which was amusingly ruled by the technosexuals.

Most of their break hours were spent discussing the features of their DVD players, their mobile handsets or any other latest hardware revolution. They were the ones sending MMS, movie clips and simulated pictures in your inbox. They played Myst, Chuck Yeager’s Air Combat or other computer games in order to refresh themselves! The technosexual gang preferred taking joint shopping trips to all the famous designer shops, shopping malls and the ever-famous Rainbow Centre. The Bollywood gangster movies were relished and DVDs were recommended and exchanged enthusiastically.

In the spirit of true technosexuals, the stylized and slick looks of the bad guys were copied devoutly from the shade of the streaks, the pair of sunglasses and right down to the cigar. One can’t help but admit that bad boys never looked so good, but having their replicas hanging around every nook and corner is not that entertaining. Really.

And the minute one see a group huddling together pouring their oohs and aahs over something, you would be almost sure that it had got to be the latest handset. Their favourite pastime was the chant, ‘my mobile is better than yours, my mobile service is better than yours!’ There was also another favourite pastime. It was a game called the ‘Attack of the Weird Filmi Ring Tones’. Luckily, before the game could get out of hand, the office administration moved in, made the kill and banned mobiles altogether from the workplace. An extreme measure, I agree, but there is some truth to the notion that technology itself can become counter-productive sometimes. The phenomenon has been recognized as the O.C.D (Online Compulsive Disorder). But it would be highly unfair to say that it’s only the technosexuals who suffer from it. It’s time we moved to the broader picture.

ONLINE COMPULSIVE DISORDER ... WHAT’S THAT? There’s a growing number of physicians and sociologists who are assessing how technology affects attention span, creativity and focus. This preoccupation of the technosexual male in particular and a fragment of society in general with ‘staying on’ and ‘staying connected’ is a small but significant example of how OCD affects.

Influenced by technology and the pace of modern life, we have developed shorter attention spans. Technosexuals in particular become frustrated with long-term projects, thrive on the stress of constant fixes of information, and physically crave the bursts of stimulation from checking e-mails, SMS, voice mail or answering the phone. It is the lure of date, the craving for the constant stimulation provided by the incoming data. Multitasking is not merely a social annoyance, it is also counter-productive, and even addictive.

And this isn’t all! Technosexuals in particular and people in general who happen to be excessively dependent upon technology, have a tendency to get bored soon enough with everything. They crave novelty by the minute. They want the updated versions of their gadgets, as soon as they hit the market. As a case in point, let’s discuss another relevant topic that stems from the obsession for technology i.e. the frenzy to update and uptrade every time a newer gadget or its version hits the consumer market.

UPDATE OR BOW OUT! When it comes to the craving for something new and the latest, mobile phone manufacturing companies as well as service providers seem to be understanding the psyche of the consumers very aptly. No wonder, a staggering 70 million of advertising budget has been allocated to this market alone in Pakistan. Newer and latest gadgets are making debut in the market with a maddening frenzy. The battle of the mobile service providers is waging equally strongly and prices are being slashed. You can take your pick. There is one handset to fit your pocket and suit your personality. But we should also be mindful that as soon as the latest model of a gadget hits the market, today’s much coveted and over-priced handset would become a depreciated and out-moded commodity.

Upgradation is not a trend with just mobiles; that’s the way it is with every thing. It’s surely the age of upgrades, uptrading and upsizing. Forget about familiarity, durability and dependability. Get rid of the older car model, PC version and mobile, get your hand on the latest. Update or bow out! We can’t dare to fall back into the upgrading game, so we have no qualms about spending a major portion of our earnings into cars, designer wardrobes, accessories, latest mobile phones versions, software and home entertainment units etc. This shows that, in spite of all the technological advancements, today’s consumer culture is reigning more on freneticism and a conscious attempt at isolation.

IT IS AN ISOLATED WORLD: For all the efficiency gains that it seemingly provides, the constant stream of data, simulated sounds and images are interrupting not just dinner and family time, but also meetings and creative time, and it can prove to be tough to turn off. Telephonic conversation, e-mailing, chatting and text-messaging are great and convenient means of keeping in touch, but they have undermined the value of face-to-face conversation.

People’s preferences in regard to how they keep in touch are undergoing a gradual change. Mobile phones in particular have invaded the sanctity of the intimate space that people share while having a conversation. Social gatherings and casual conversations are interrupted by phone calls. It is no longer possible to enjoy a seminar, a conference, a fashion gala or a play without being interrupted with the menacing filmi ring tones. People are also found either text-messaging or superstitiously checking their messages between ongoing conversations. What’s the point of attending a social gathering, paying exorbitantly high entrance fee for it, when you are not willing to unwire and unplug yourself long enough to enjoy it?

Technology has attempted to bring people closer, and it has to a great extent. But at times it seems more like a semblance, because it is now re-defining ways regarding how people prefer to keep in touch. Sometimes people living in the same city prefer to keep in touch with each other through e-mail or text-messaging rather then meeting in person or placing a phone call. We are constantly buying gadgets that allow us to stay connected, but also allowing us to choose isolation over face-to-face human contact.

Hence, we cannot criticize technosexuals or even metrosexuals or their lifestyle without re-evaluating our own social habits and values, as segments like these exist only as extensions of society that we have created for ourselves. The technosexuals merely stand as a small reminder of the bigger, subtle and all-encompassing change that our social scenario is undergoing, i.e. we have become the kind of society which places superlative importance on one’s looks and material possessions, rather than the true essence of one’s inner being.

There still is something very becoming and endearing about a person who is less conscious of his or her looks and more conscious of the manners, one who can converse equally well on books and literature and not just latest mobiles and movies. He can be someone who isn’t fidgeting all the time with his mobile phone while having a conversation with you, and is able to look up and look into your eyes as he talks. But we are more willing to thumb through and understand the complex users’ manuals than to attempt to understand each other. Conclusively, we are more willing to relate to automaton gadgets than to other human beings.

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)