The iconic figure of Apple legend Steve Jobs in his black turtleneck and jeans has been immortalized for the moment by magazine covers, temporary memorials, online posts and a new biography. How Jobs will continue to be remembered, though, is still in the works.
Steve Jobs’ authorized biography, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, was released Monday, almost a month before the original Nov. 21 date, after Jobs’ untimely death. Even with the book released, another tribute is possibly being developed by Sony, which bought the movie rights to the biography just days after Jobs passed away.
These quick moves to release media about the recently deceased icon reflect the strong reaction to his death that occurred in various parts of the world. However, given the fact that the possible movie and biography are for-profit media, it brings up the question of whether “paying” tribute to a respected and cherished figure is indeed a respectful reaction.
Perhaps a movie is fitting for a technology innovator.
Right now, of course, there is a high demand for this media due to the emotions still in the air after Jobs’ death, which sparked much media covered, online posts and public statements.
Even the PSU Twitter posted on Oct. 5, “Today it was announced that Apple visionary Steve Jobs has died at 56. What are your initial thoughts, Viks?” with a link to the corresponding NPR story.
A Twitter post is just a small acknowledgement, though, compared to other tributes people have dedicated to the memory of Jobs. On the outside of an Apple store in Munich, Germany, a group of Jobs’ admirers created a large mural of him using 4,001 Post-it notes. At another Apple store in Ginza, Japan, the front of the store was crowded with bouquets of flowers, printed notes and many apples in Jobs’ honor.
Other reactions were not just from the public, but also from important political and tech industry figures from arounbd the world. Statements were released by President Barack Obama, Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates, French President Nicholas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Intel CEO Paul Ottelini, Google CEO Larry Page and many others.
The bulk of statements, though, are coming from the public. The temporary dedications at Apple stores and also from the Apple web page are dedicated to remembering Jobs. The page displays comments of people who emailed Apple about how Jobs has made an impact on them.
“I feel as those must have felt when they lost JFK or Albert Einstein. My sadness is deep, for I cannot begin to imagine what truly spectacular future technology we have lost with the passing of Steve Jobs. God speed,” said one anonymous commenter on the Apple site.
It is a bit exaggerated to liken former President John F. Kennedy and genius Einstein to Jobs, but the comparison shows the importance of Jobs as an innovator to many people. If the matter is simply changing the world, then Apple’s personal computer certainly ended up among their ranks. However, finding an appropriate tribute to Jobs would not be solved respectfully by emulating tributes to historically immortalized people like JFK and Einstein.
The assassination of JFK in 1963 shocked and horrified the country and other parts of the world. The reaction to Einstein’s death in 1955 was strong enough that then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave a statement honoring Einstein’s scientific contributions to the world.
Today, there is not only the Eternal Flame memorial in D.C. dedicated to JFK, but also countless pieces of infrastructure named in his honor. Einstein also is remembered in D.C. with a 21-foot statue.
These glories feel out of place when considering why we should remember Jobs. Where JFK and Einstein made strides in human rights and technology to better the world, Jobs was merely the figurehead to a company that made popular electronics.
The memorials for JFK and Einstein are too grand to be appropriate for Jobs, and they do not suit Jobs’ accomplishments. From this perspective, a movie about Jobs may be one of the best possible tributes to the man.
It could seem that, as a media-influenced society, a top-selling biography and a possible movie means we have turned grief into a process smoothed over with a conveyor belt of in-memoriam products. However, because media has become such an unavoidable part of our lives, and since Jobs contributed to this, paying to see a movie can be our own way of collectively remembering him.
Sony is not the first to make a film about Jobs. The first was Pirates of Silicon Valley, which came out in 1999. However, Sony may be very suited for it. With such movies as The Social Network, Marie Antoinette and Julie & Julia under its belt, Sony has accepted the challenge of putting the lives of famous individuals on the big screen.
In this regard, tributes have changed. It at first may seem strange to honor Jobs by making people pay money to watch a movie about him. However, it seems that this is simply another way to share the story of an admired legacy with as many people as possible.