The Record-Breaking Nokia 3310 as a Bridge between Me and My Childhood Memories: Reflective Essay

The Record-Breaking Nokia 3310

The Nokia 3310 has for more than a decade, enjoyed a near-iconic status. First released in 2000, it has been among the most selling phones of all time. It is reckoned as an aesthetically pleasing and indestructible handheld machine. The phone is also renowned for ushering most of us into the first rings that connected our lives. Most of the individuals born in the late 21st century recall it as the first ever classy phone they owned, or one that evoked envy among those who did not own it. For its time, the phone was aesthetically pleasing, robust, and had far reaching emotional experiences compared to most of the smartphones in the market today.

Nokia 3310 is an aesthetic device that has acted as a bridge between me and my childhood memories. The aesthetic qualities of the phone make it easy to identify, recall and relate to. It evokes nostalgic childhood memories. Its design arouses my wistful memories of the past by acting as a link to my childhood memories For instance, looking at the phone reminds me of the unique games incorporated in the phone, such as Bantumi and Snake II. Nevertheless, the emotions it evokes are not always positive. I can recall a time when I secretly took the first Nokia 3310 my father had bought to the basketball pitch. As we were playing, it fell and one of the teammates stepped on it and shattered it into pieces. That was the most horrific day of my life. My dad was so infuriated because it was barely two weeks old, and he grounded me for a whole month. As a millennial, I have developed a special connection with my father’s Nokia 3310 because it is one of the electronics that I operated during my childhood and I have continued to operate despite the technological advancement in mobile phones. To me, Nokia 3310 is an aesthetically pleasing object because it evokes the childhood memories that I relate to the phone and motivates me to experience my childhood differently.

The user-centered design of the Nokia is crafted in a way that easily caters to the needs and the wants of the operator. Its buttons are strategically placed and designed for easy operations. Even a blind person could operate the phone with so much ease, thanks to the aesthetically pleasing hard buttons that were smooth to the touch, providing physical feedback.

Its proportions and dimensions are also aesthetically pleasing, which explains why it was such a desired item in the market. The minimalist screen structure made it simple to quickly read and interpret the signal and battery status of the phone. Also, it had very little content and users were not burdened with the task of remembering complicated routes of navigating the menus.

Despite the pleasing aesthetics of the Nokia 3310 phones, they were less addictive and allowed one to connect with the real world. The modern day smartphones have taken this property away from our disposal. Even though they are arguably more aesthetically pleasing, they have overruled the primary purpose for which they were designed, which is to connect people. The simplicity in the aesthetics of the Nokia 3310 made it possible for individuals to use it without getting addicted and being drawn away from reality as is the case with the modern smartphones. During its prime age, it was a heard of to see people blindly gazing into their phones while disregarding the occurrences in their surroundings. Human connections at the time were better than ever. The absence of digital applications in the phone ensured that the users only used it for the primary purpose that of connecting with people. As much as the games in the phone were intriguing and engaging, they were just a source of entertainment and never overstepped boundaries into the addictive perspective.

The Nokia 3310 is also hailed for its robustness compared to the modern-day smartphones. The delicate nature of the touchscreen smartphones is evident, thanks to the ever increasing instances of smashed screens. This was, however, not the case for the Nokia 3310. Its manufacturers were geniuses, integrating aesthetics and robustness to create the long serving masterpiece. Enthusiasts even claim that the phone works perfectly even after 18 years of use.

Moreover, Nokia 3310 was a pocket-sized source of entertainment that one cannot compare with the modern smartphones. The aesthetics of the phone extended to the sweet ringtones it came with. I remember borrowing my father the phone so that I could listen to the ringtones all day long when I was bored. These sweet tunes helped me develop instincts of awareness of things, events, and phenomena. For instance, whenever the Nokia 3310 in our house rings or vibrates, I always seem to correctly guess the caller based on the timing and the number of calls made in case the first one is not picked. Whenever the phone rings, I feel compelled to relate the object’s sound to other natural sounds and I feel drawn to the virtual world of mobile phones. Most of the ringtones in the phone are replicas of the natural sounds from nature, especially birds. This has prompted me to make a connection between it and the real world. Consequently, I always relate its aesthetics, beauty, and simplicity to the hummingbird. Whenever I come across a hummingbird or hear it chirp, it always reminds me of the Nokia 3310 at home.

The Nokia 3310 evokes deeper cognitive implications compared to the smartphones in the market today. It provides a cognitive framework upon which I can make sense of the relationship between the object and my childhood memories or emotions. It fits into the working definition of cognitive mode aesthetics because it calls attention to specific elements, such as actual episodes from my life, including how they relate to various aesthetic domains. Moreover, it expands my awareness and sensibilities since it serves as a memory of the interesting stories in my past life. Also, through the phone allowed one to reason deeper about relations and connections. While the modern-day smartphones help us to connect to more individuals, most of the connections are shallow and do not amount to much. Nonetheless, the Nokia 3310 build upon the foundations of the cognitive being within us, improving our memories of people, concentration span in communications and reasoning.

Concisely, aesthetics is a cognitive quality that helps one in develop an awareness of and think about the sensory and emotive qualities of objects or things. Aesthetics not only relate to beauty but also fit within other domains, such as linguistics and cognitive mode. The use of Nokia 3310 in this paper fits within the cognitive mode domain of aesthetics because it creates enlightenment or provides an understanding of events and evokes emotive and sensory qualities. As such, Nokia 3310 is an aesthetic object because it creates an aesthetic experience and contemplation that motivates me to understand the actuality or reality of my sensory and emotive qualities. Additionally, the aesthetic qualities stand the test of time in the human memory and act as anchors to nostalgic experiences of the past.