Introduction
The extent of change that the realm of social interactions has experienced on specific time slots in human history is truly breathtaking. The rapid and at certain times nearly unpredictable trajectory of innovations being introduced into the social context and then percolating into other areas represents a particularly exciting subject of academic study. By considering the alterations that have occurred between the 1990s and 2020s, one will be able to grasp the extent of change and determine its significance for the current sociocultural context and the future thereof. For this purpose, two artifacts from the specified period have been selected. These are two different issues of a magazine that was popular at the time, namely, those of the “PC World,” from January 1990 and January 2022. Despite being separated by nearly three decades, the specified artifacts offer unique introspect into the specified points in time and provide a platform for speculating about the possible implications of these changes for the future development.
Fist Artifact (“PC World,” 1990 Issue)
The first artifact to be analyzed is a 1990 issue of the magazine titled “PC World.” As its name suggests, the magazine covers primarily advancements in the digital area, particularly, innovations associated with computer technology. The artifact in question details the latest technological advancements of 1990, while also advertising the relevant services and products.
Second Artifact (“PC World,” 2022 Issue)
Similarly, the second artifact demonstrates the core technological inventions that changed the landscape of the specified time period. However, in addition to advertising the latest innovations, the magazine also introduces the ideas of cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary collaboration and communication. Therefore, the second issue expands upon the concepts of diversity and globalization, contemplating on the effects of the latter.
Comparison and Contrast
Similarities
When comparing the two issues of the “PC World,” one will notice immediately that both artifacts rely heavily on the use of advertisements as the main content for their articles. The specified trend is especially blatant and uninhibited in the 1990 version of the magazine, yet the subtlety of the 2020 issue does not defy its unmasked attempt at selling its target audience relevant digital products. For instance, the 1990 issue advertises Dell’s products straightforwardly without any hesitation: “4 out of 5 Dells’ customers will be completely satisfied” (“PC World,” 1999, p. 4). Although being less overt, the advertisement in the 2022 paper does virtually the same: “NVidia is looking at bringing back older and less expensive hardware” (PC World,” 2022, p. 8). Therefore, the propensity toward using its platform as the vehicle for enhancing economic relationships transcends time in “PC World.” The specified characteristics implies that the concept of money is treated similarly in both eras, namely, is a crucial part of the economic relationships and a vital resource for continuing to produce innovative solutions.
Differences
At the same time, there are evident differences in how specific issues are depicted in the 1990 and 2022 issues of “PC World,” as well as what the magazine choose to prioritize. The advertisement aspect mentioned above stands out particularly strongly as an important point of difference between the two issues. Namely, in the 1990 issue, the concept of communication as it pertain to the realm of business is approached from a different standpoint. As emphasized above, the 1990s advertisement is blatantly obvious in its message, using direct messages and creating a completely transparent message, despite it being admittedly charming in its naiveté.
In contrast, the 2022 commercial is much more eloquent and ambiguous in its meaning, rarely mentioning the subject of its message at all. Instead, the advertisement features a severe image that is expected to evoke the feelings of satisfaction and calm (see Fig. 1). Therefore, the approach to building customer attraction and targeting the selected audience is becoming much more subtle and nuanced in 2022.
Furthermore, changes in the portrayal of race and race relationships within society become more obvious when examining the context of the artifacts in question. Specifically, the 1990 magazine features primarily White, middle-aged, middle-class men in its advertisements and articles. For example, the specified character is portrayed on p. 10to represent a busy schedule (“PC World,” 1999). Though the second page features Nancy Mulvaney, the head of the Bayside Indexing Service and the author of the 1989 Annual Index at PC World, the rest of the images are populated by White men as the apparent target audience of the magazine. The described phenomenon, while representing an instance of blatant social injustice, is understandable given the target audience of the magazine at the time.
In contrast, the 2022 version of the “PC World” represents a clear contrast to the specified situation. Offering a broad variety of characters as the representatives of key products and targeting a highly diverse audience, the imagery in the 2022 version of the “PC World” implies a massive shift in race- and gender-related issues. Specifically, by incorporating African American people, women, and people with physical limitations, the magazine demonstrates a massive change in how the notion of race has changed on the specified time slot. A similar trend is observed in how the concept of gender roles is gradually shifting in the society. For instance, the 1990s version portrays only one female member of the IT community, whereas the 2022 issue represents both men and women equally.
Cause and Effect Relationships
The changes observed in the two issues of the “PC World” separated by three decades of time portray peculiar cause-and-effect relationships. For instance, the 1990 issue of the magazine references the concept of globalization and the associated processes as one of the main vehicles behind the future change (“PC World,” 1999). Thus, the main cause of the further alterations is established. In turn, the 2022 issue confirms the specified idea by offering changes in communication, social justice, and technology, all of which point to the focus on building a globalized environment and promoting global interactions. Therefore, the need for enhancing international and cross-cultural collaboration communicated in the 1990 issue represents the cause for the changes depicted in the 2022 issue, namely, the promotion of technology for active knowledge sharing.
Furthermore, the difference in the portrayal of people in the specified issues indicates significant social changes observed on the specified time slot. As emphasized above, the increase in diversity has been observe when comparing the 1990 and 2022 issues of the magazine. Among the main reasons for the changes in perspectives on the importance of diverse voices within the technological community and the global community at large, one should once again consider globalization mentioned in the 19890 issue. Indeed with the emphasis on transgressing international borders and expanding into the multicultural setting where knowledge sharing could occur in an uninhibited fashion, the 199- magazine demonstrated the prerequisites and the key causes for the change illustrated in the 2022 magazine.
In addition, the causes of the societal change regarding the perception of race, which the 2022 magazine illustrates, could be seen as the direct effect of the factors associated with the changes in the perception of social justice. Admittedly, the described process had been started significantly earlier than the 1990s and was continued into the 1990s, when the process of liberation of racial minorities, particularly African American people, in the U.S. community, was at its later stage. Indeed, taking retrospect into American history, one will realize that the plight of the African American community had been voiced and sought to be implemented long before the 1990s. Therefore, the 1990s issue of the “OC World” reflects the societal issues that were taking place at the time, which resulted in representing not only a snapshot of the situation observed at the time, but also a hint at the dramatic change that would take place only a couple decades later.
Indeed, the presence of racial discrimination and obvious inequality observed in the 1990s issue of the “PC World” indicated that a significant societal transformation had to take place in order to address the observed injustice. The fact that African American people, as well as other minorities and women, were so drastically underrepresented in the imagery used to demonstrate the social context in which the “PC World” operated signaled an evident problem that had to be addressed. Thus, the 2022 issue reflects the crucial social change that occurred over twenty years, with a broad range of demographics, including African American people, Asian Americans, women, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups portrayed in the magazine.
Therefore, the essential cause-and-effect relationship observed within the specified time frame and demonstrated with the help of the 1990 and 2020 issues of the “PC World” concerns the reinforcement of globalization and the associated promotion of diversity and multiculturalism. In turn, the globalization process is defined in the journals as the phenomenon driven by technology, which justified using a largely technology-oriented artifact as the means of portraying an enormous social change. Indeed, the integration of digital tools, particularly, the rapid increase in the availability of personal computers and the Internet, as well as the subsequent development of social media, serve as the core causes of the rise in diversity and knowledge sharing observed in 2022. The observed cause-and-effect relationships are characterized by a particularly strong presence of mutual connection since the enhancement of the globalization process has also been driven by a notable increase in the need and willingness to participate in active knowledge sharing and cross-cultural communication and collaboration. Therefore, both artifacts represent a unique cultural, technological, economic, and political continuity.
Conclusion
Though one being three decades older than the other, the artifacts in question offer a unique and unprecedentedly valuable opportunity for analyzing the links between different stages of cultural development. Representing a clear cause-and-effect connection between core trends and tendencies in sociocultural relationships, the two issues of the “PC World” demonstrate the progression in the understanding of communication, relationships, money, race, gender stereotypes, and the related societal constructs. Therefore, examining the two artifacts under analysis allows embracing the nature of the observed change and recognizing key patterns in it. With the increasing focus on globalization and promotion of multicultural communication and collaboration, the two issues demonstrate the transfer from sustaining close-knit communities to the development of diverse spaces where cross-cultural communication becomes possible. Furthermore, the outlined trend is indicative of introducing innovation not only into technology, but also into every facet of people’s lives, including social interactions, cultural values, economic and financial transactions, and legal principles. Therefore, the artifacts under analysis represent an important shift in social relationships occurring in an incredibly dense succession and within a stunningly short amount of time.
Works Cited
PC World. January 1999, pp. 1-282.
PC World. January 2022, pp. 1-114.