Watching a Movie on a Microwave & Surfing online on a Fridge?

The concept of the Black Box Fallacy is in response to the argument that “all media content is going to flow through a single black box into our living rooms”  as discussed by Jenkins (2006).  The distinction between a remote control, telephone, computer, television, GPRS or MP3 is now blurry with technologies such as the Apple iPhone among other products readily available. Products like the iPhone have forced many of these separate devices to become molded into one singular device to stay in the competition. However in regards to other types of technologies is convergence a good idea?

LG launched their television/computer refrigerator in 2004 with their supporting promotional material stating “Think big. Dream big. Visualize surfing the Web, leaving video messages, organizing your shopping list or e-mailing the office from your kitchen. The Internet Fridge from LG is visionary." (Pitts, 2004)  Whilst LG maintained success with selling their refrigerators to those who could afford them, it still remains the issue that this screen acts simply as a supplementary television/computer and would not be primarily computer used by everyone is the household.  A wasted screen perhaps, with some people finding it unnecessary and a poor collaboration of products. 

The first microwave with a television built into it was also launched by LG (Hanlon 2007).  The Wave Microwave boasts an integrated TFT screen and DVD player in the door, so you can watch television or a movie while the microwave cooks a meal for you.  On average most meals don’t take a long time to cook, that being a microwaves purpose to cook or warm up items quickly.  Not only would it take users a lot of cooking to finish watching a movie, sitting in front of a microwave for an extended amount of time arguably can’t be ideal for one’s heath and wellbeing.  It such appliances are used frequently it can make other household items simply obsolete, while there is risk of these newer appliances becoming obsolete themselves if they aren’t engaged with on a regular basis.

So whilst some items can be funneled into a singular device there are questions raised when applying this to some appliances.  Simple it will not work, as it can be argued that physically it is impossible to make a singular device feed us all our media, and be collaborated with other devices.  The increased obsolescence of other devices would create unnecessary waste, and perhaps suggest that we are simply going backwards, not forwards in technological growth.

References

Hanlon, M 2007, The Microwave Television, Gizmag, accessed16/09/2010,  http://www.gizmag.com/go/7947/

Jenkins, H 2006, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide NYU Press, New York,

Pitts, L 2004, ‘Just what we need: Refrigerators with TVs built, Milwaukee Journal, 15 July, p19, accessed 16/09/2010, Proquest database.