Press Play: The Untold History Behind Technology's Relationship With Symbols

By Jeffrey Bryant

Have you ever wondered . . .

1. How are symbols and icons chosen for new devices and electronics?
2. Who was responsible for the introduction of symbols and icons for consumer technology?
3. Why did companies start using symbols and icons in the first place for equipment and machines?
4. 
   

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• Language: English
• Publisher: New Degree Press
• Release date: May 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9798885042024

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

MY INSPIRATION FOR WRITING THIS BOOK

Growing up, I always had a fascination with history and technology. Often, I was caught stealing the batteries from our TV remote for an electronic toy. When playing with these toys, I would wander through the rooms of my childhood home that had a cherished past filled with antiques. This is where my curiosity about history developed. Occasionally, I felt as if I were going back in time or exploring a museum. When I was ten-years-old, I came across an old Zenith TV remote in a desk drawer that looked straight out of the 1950s. It was light gray and had four oval-shaped buttons. I knew this remote was old by its unique shape, but I did not realize just how old this device really was. It included a power button and up and down buttons to control the channels and the volume.

Even at the early age of ten, I was already accustomed to electronics feeling heavier and having more lights and buttons. I remember thinking at the time this Zenith remote might have been an old toy and not an actual remote since each button made a hollow clicking. Fast forward almost two decades later, I came across this same remote while visiting home and working remotely from that very desk. However, this time, I realized that I was holding in my hand one of the first wireless remote controls ever produced. I sat there for a moment in awe, processing the idea that someone in our home had used a remote like this. This was what cutting-edge technology looked like in the 1950s. While admiring this device, I thought of the history that has since followed it and all of the progress we have made with technology.

In the world we live in today, it is easy to get caught up in the latest technological trends and forget to look back at how far we have come. We tend to buy the latest iPhone in exchange for our old one and lose track of the progress made between versions. We consider electronics older than five years outdated and usually discard them (or in my case, put them in a desk drawer). In this never-ending cycle, the small historic details slip through the cracks, and we forget how certain trends in technology became mainstream over time.

Since I am part of a generation that has witnessed rapid technological progress within the last three decades, I realized I too had forgotten to appreciate the often-overlooked details in technology history. These details have become lost over time thanks to the pace at which we like to produce the latest and greatest electronic or smart device. Many people born during the latter half of the twentieth century were fortunate enough to have experienced life before the technology boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s. They can remember life before 5G, smart speakers, and the metaverse. This gives them the unique perspective of filling in gaps when younger generations ask questions like, Why do older people say, ‘Hang up the phone’? For those who understand the use of this phrase, there is a natural explanation that can be accomplished with a story from twenty years ago or even a quick trip to grandma’s house to show the phrase in action. However, bigger questions surround older technology design decisions for which we do not have the luxury of show-and-tell stories.

One such question is the origin of icons and symbols, like the play button or the pause button we frequently use on our phones, smart watches, and TV remotes. I happened to be watching Netflix and holding the remote in my hand when I wondered where these abstract symbols we use to control our favorite shows, came from. I pressed the pause button and looked down at the rest of the symbols as if I were seeing them for the first time. No matter how far back I tried to remember, I could not think of a time when I used an electronic device without a play, pause, stop or record symbol. These small abstract images have seemingly dominated the audio and video space across decades, but their origins have become somewhat of a mystery. Many of the symbols, such as play, pause, fast-forward, rewind, stop, and record are officially referred to as media control symbols due to their association with controlling devices that provide sound or video (ISO, 2003). However, the origin story behind media control symbols and other famous technology icons is not a clear one. It is tattered with holes and dead ends, but inevitably provides a foundation to piece together how these symbols dominated the media and technology world. If these symbols have such a mysterious origin, then why have they remained such a crucial part of our daily lives? Who called the shots to put these icons on electronic devices that have now become part of our twenty-first century culture? If you were to google where our iconic symbols came from, you would find several articles, blogs, and maybe a Reddit thread on the topic. If you searched for a follow-up question to learn how media symbols ended up on a TV remote, or why those exact symbols were selected to be the face of media control, that link would likely not exist.

That is because the answer almost always begins with it depends. If you think this answer sounds like one you would hear from a politician on CNN, you are not far off. After conducting hours of research, reviews, and staring at thousands of early electronic devices online, I arrived at a similar conclusion. It even reminded me of a relevant memory from when I was a teenager.

In 2007, I visited England and met with a member of Parliament for a question-and-answer session with several dozen other students from the United States. One of the first questions asked to the politician was, Does England have a constitution? At the time, I remember thinking that should be an easy question. If you were to ask a United States politician while visiting the Capitol Building if we have constitution, he or she would simply say, Absolutely! You can grab a copy of it at the US Capitol Gift Shop.

However, this English politician did not have that kind of answer. Instead, he described an unlikely one. He began with, It depends on who you ask, but we do have a constitution, and it happens to be spread across several documents written at different times throughout England’s existence. Even fifteen years later, I can succinctly remember that response because it was not only a very politician-like answer, but it also describes the question this book attempts to tackle. Today’s answers as to where these symbols came from are mostly consistent based on extensive research. However, they do not take that information a step further in terms of investigating where these symbols came from and why they have become so popular today. Technology symbols have quietly become a universal language that people from around the world can identify and use when handling TV remotes or other electronics. The biggest question remains: When did these symbols become a universal language for media and technology control, and why?

Certain theories floating around on internet forums and websites suggest the original media control symbols may have been designed in Japan. Other sources point to early electronic corporations in Europe. To tackle this question, we must revisit the early electronic audio and video devices that built the foundation for symbols and icons alike.

During the period of the 1950s and 1960s, we witness how some of the most popular media symbols emerge and take hold in Asia and the United States. They became the mainstay for much of the world during the 1990s and into the 2000s technology revolution. This revolution is ongoing today. New dominant symbols and icons have emerged in the last two decades, and more will continue to be produced each year in the technology-driven world we live in.

For those who have wondered about where our most common symbols and icons came from — ranging from remotes, laptops, smartphones, to other electronics —