Forget digital Maoists; how about mobile fascism?
Or rather, prime fascist content sold through the iTunes store:
After having been released on Jan. 21, the application, known as iMussolini, has rocketed to the second-place spot -- behind a wallpaper application -- on the Italian version of iTunes.
The app's creator, Luigi Marino, says he's not celebrating fascism, but making some of the important historical record available through a new medium.
On his advertisement for the application, he asks "all users to avoid making inappropriate comments that glorify fascism and advocate crimes"...
If this is a datapoint, then consider: to what extent is the iPhone playing a role in the fearsome mobile device layer of the overall scary digital media story? Is the Steve Jobs cult reality distortion field strong enough to keep the iPhone above the fray?
Maybe not. For that article offers poke at the Apple walled garden:
[Marino] adds that he has asked Apple to remove such remarks from the comments page, but that it has yet to act. The Corriera della Sera newspaper notes that the Italian version of Apple's application store says that comments are blocked using an automatic keyword-identification system, adding that "obviously none of the words used on the iMussolini program are on the black list."
There is possible an Apple-specific way that the iPhone could be considered creepy, then. The unitary ecosystem's claim to increased quality makes scary bits seem either exceptional or more disturbing. For other examples, try the iPhone augmented reality shooting app, or the notorious baby killing one.
(thanks to Jesse Walker)
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