In today’s digital age, the majority of students own a smartphone. When walking around school, you see eyes glued to the screen with their thumbs tapping away. When paying attention to what brands of devices students are using, we notice an abundance of Apple products, with a couple of Androids here and there. Out of 20 people asked, 17 of them own an Apple device, with 3 of them owning Androids. Although we are in Asia, a continent with 81% of the population owning Androids, the dominance of Iphones and Ipads makes our community an outlier to the general public.
There are certain stigmas in modern society with owning either Apple or Android products. On the internet, there are always jokes being cracked and arguments starting on the choice of using one product over the other. In an Apple-based community, Android users can feel like outsiders although they encapsulate the majority of the population. While these social stigmas are made up, surveys show a noticeable difference between the lifestyles of Android and Apple users.
According to a survey done by Slickdeals, the average annual salary of Iphone users is $53251, while Android users make $37040. Apple users are also seen to spend twice as much on clothing and technology monthly. Along with monetary differences, Iphone and Android users also have differences in personality. Iphone users are 27% more likely to consider themselves “happy”, and have an average of five close friends, compared to Android users’ average of three friends.
Although these facts prove to be true to the general public, we must consider how unique our community is. ISB is a school with a diverse body of students - with students from different nationalities, religions and lifestyles. But one thing links all these people together: income. In order to afford the pricy tuition of over one million baht, families who enroll their children to ISB must have an income large enough to afford for school as well as other aspects of their lives.
Shabin Hossain and Eric Pak are two students who own an Android and an Iphone respectively. When asked why they chose to get their product, they both mention quality. Shabin mainly mentioned that Android often innovates with their products, while Eric comments that the Iphone’s UI software and compatibility with other school products makes the Iphone a superior purchase.
Shabin also had a lot to say about comments he received on his choice of an Android. His friends often jokingly tease him, calling him “broke”, although his S21 costs a significant amount of money - one similar to the Iphone. He also mentions that he feels left out when it comes to updates, as “new updates create trends on apps like Tiktok, and (he) is not a part of it”.
While both students agree that there are lingering social stigmas of owning an Android compared to an Iphone, they both pointed out that these stigmas are less present in the ISB community. When shown the information above about demographics between both products, they think that it doesn't represent the school’s population. Eric claimed that “with such a diverse student body, although I notice Iphones more, I can’t see how phones define people. We all also come from relatively wealthy backgrounds, so I think our brands don’t affect our wealth”.
Through social media, there is a huge gap between Apple and Android users. These two brands and their users are always seen to be at dispute, and research on demographics prove that a big difference on wealth and personalities between products exist. However, students believe that ISB is different. Our diverse backgrounds and open-mindedness break the stereotypes modern media produces on the choices of smartphone brands we choose, and cultivates an inclusive community.