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1. 1 2013-08-23T13:10:09-07:00 M. Elizabeth Bomhower 4310d6ba5f584fd3e0462f55ee7f230117397b56 VII. An interrogation of masculine and feminine representation in one of the most successful apps in history. M. Elizabeth Bomhower 4 plain 2013-08-23T13:34:12-07:00 M. Elizabeth Bomhower 4310d6ba5f584fd3e0462f55ee7f230117397b56
2. 1 2013-08-23T10:34:18-07:00 M. Elizabeth Bomhower 4310d6ba5f584fd3e0462f55ee7f230117397b56 VI. An interrogation of masculine and feminine representation in one of the most successful apps in history. M. Elizabeth Bomhower 4 Even Sweeter with Friends! plain 2013-08-23T12:54:18-07:00 M. Elizabeth Bomhower 4310d6ba5f584fd3e0462f55ee7f230117397b56

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• 1 2013-08-17T13:57:03-07:00 I. An interrogation of masculine and feminine representation in one of the most successful apps in history. 12 Introduction plain 2013-08-22T14:16:27-07:00

  Certainly, the power and influence of the ever-present, ubiquitous “app” in contemporary, digital culture cannot be understated. And further, they cannot, nor should they be, overlooked as ineffectual or benign presences. App technology has become so pervasive and has become so thoroughly enmeshed into our daily activities, that it’s hard to even imagine our lives without them. Yet, it’s literally been only a few years since the “big bang” of applications really occurred, and the cultural as well as global changes that accompanied it are profound – both in the amount of changes they have brought, as well as their impact on millions and millions of people’s everyday, daily lives.

  Of course, prior to Apple’s App Store, there had been distribution websites that connected application programs with consumers. Indeed, apps have actually been commercially available to the public since the early ‘90s, but those first wave applications (as well as the sites that mediated them) were relatively clunky precursors to the more streamlined applications (and purchasing platforms) as we now know them today. As mentioned above, the big bang of app technology exploded onto the market when, in 2008, Apple introduced its App Store in conjunction with the release of their updated iPhone 2.0. Since then, the terms “App Store” and “App” have seemingly become part of everyday vernacular – globally. (App Store iOS). Reportedly, there are as many “App Stores” and corresponding apps as there are countries – each with their own specific governmental allowances and/or restrictions. But casting that wide of a net is beyond the scope of this project in its present incarnation. I would like to expand on this research project in the future in order to encompass a much broader, more cross-cultural, analysis of the discourse and rhetoric of apps. Therefore, at present, I will be limiting this project to a singular app (one of the highest grossing apps of all time), Candy Crush Saga, and will focus primarily on the United States/North American user.

  That said, before beginning the crux of my argument, and for the sake of transparency, I would like to include the fact that I am both an iPhone owner, as well as a current player of the game Candy Crush Saga. However, neither of these factors will influence my critical examination of this app, nor the platform(s) it utilizes. Indeed, I feel that it is incumbent upon us, as users, to keep a critical eye towards the digital technologies and applications that we interact with on a frequent basis, because often, although our apps are seemingly benign or purposed for “entertainment only,” they nonetheless communicate with us, and we enter into certain dialogue(s) each and every time we engage with them. And due to the staggering frequency of contemporary app usage, they undoubtedly have the capacity to not merely reflect, but also participate in and co-create, our personal as well as cultural experiences. Therefore, in the portion of this ongoing research that follows, I intend to interrogate and investigate one category of the many, layered discourse(s) that this singular game communicates to its users, and how, citing numerous visual examples, its rhetoric promotes a feminine subordination and privileges a dominant masculine hegemony.

  So, without further ado, let’s join “Tiffi” and “Mr. Toffee” in their world of candy….

  Introduction video to Candy Crush Saga