Even those sitting with someone are dually engaged in laptop typing and iPhone thumb scrolling, their conversations anchored by mutual Facebooking. Ears are plugged with earbuds.
In total, there are 13 laptops and two iPads visible in the small coffeehouse. But so what? You already knew the world has come to that.
Blaszczyk wants you to know the context: the link from the Victorian parlor to the laptop-laden cafe, from the hearth to the HDTV mounted on top of the hearth (or, as shown in a recent edition of Elegant Homes magazine, mounted inside the breakfront that once held fine china).
"Consumers have always liked to construct their identity around possessions," says Blaszczyk, who will give the first of four lectures in the Design Philadelphia series "Visibly Invisible." Titled "From Parlor to iPhone: Our Gadgets, Our Identities," her talk is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Hamilton Hall of the University of the Arts.
Other speakers are: Thaddeus Squire, of Hidden City Philadelphia, who will address "the yearning for history in pop culture" on Feb. 21; Dan Marcolina, the "Mad App Alchemist," who will talk about transforming photos with iPhone apps, on March 20; and Cynthia E. Smith, who will talk about using technology and design to help poorer communities, on April 3.
Blaszczyk, a visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, says design history can tie into consumer culture and many other disciplines. In her work, she has traced popular culture through consumer acquisitions.
"In the Victorian period, people used parlors, bric-a-brac, china, and clothing to make statements about themselves," she said. "Today, there's been a major shift. People care less about their living rooms and more about electronic devices that deliver content."
