I guess you could call me an Apple enthusiast. I regularly update Twitter and Facebook from my iPhone, and I use my Macbook Pro to do schoolwork, manage my fantasy football teams and keep up to date on, well, the next series of Macbook Pros. My iPod is never far from reach either. I manage my life with my Apple devices so you probably aren’t surprised to hear that the death last Wednesday of Apple founder and former CEO, Steve Jobs, impacted me deeply. It did surprise me though.
I was stunned when the news first broke. It came to me in the form of a Twitter update and, like any good journalist, I immediately consulted the internet to confirm the story. The news spread like brush-fire; updates and statements from important people poured in via Twitter and Facebook, and I found that, on a level that I didn’t expect, I mourned.
Not everyone felt this way of course. More than a few people were ready to point out via social media that the masses are quick to mourn the death of the rich and famous while soldiers and civil rights leaders die without recognition.
Still, Steve Jobs was an innovator as a businessman, as an inventor and perhaps most significantly, as a marketer; by all accounts, Apple is what it is thanks to his astonishing drive and passion. His accomplishments place him alongside American visionaries like Henry Ford, and I suppose I found Jobs to be somewhat of a role-model for these reasons. I’m still struggling to make sense of my feelings towards the death of this man I had never met, but I’ve come to understand one thing: Steve Jobs was a powerfully driven man. When a light like that goes out, people take notice.
Editor’s note:
Concerning last week’s column about the new Facebook profile features, although Facebook’s Timeline was scheduled for release on Wednesday Oct. 6th, this feature has been delayed due to on-going litigation with Timelines Inc. Check out PCMag.com’s report for more information here.
