Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Computer Inc, died yesterday at age 56 after struggling with pancreatic cancer. We are usually saddened by a death, especially when someone dies at a rather young age. However, in addition to sadness, I am also feeling a sense of emptiness even though I never met Steve Jobs in person. It is the kind of emptiness that one feels when one loses a close friend or relative, and I am trying to understand why I feel this sense of loss.
Perhaps it is that in addition to losing the human being Steve Jobs, our society also lost the icon Steve Jobs. For those of us who grew up in the 1980s, we watched how the Apple Macintosh transformed computing. I remember the first time I used a Mac, I thought to myself "This is exactly how computers should be" and "Why didn't anyone else come up with this idea". Instead of being an arduous and uncomfortable task, using computers actually became fun for a lay-person and I marveled at the ingenuity of the Mac. What characterized Steve Jobs was that his creative mind kept pushing the boundaries of our technological expectations. Just like the Mac changed how we interacted with computers, the iPod and iTunes have changed how we listen to music and now the iPhone and iPad are changing how we communicate with each other.
In many ways, Steve Jobs was the embodiment of the Apple advertising slogan "Think Different". He followed his instincts and persevered, proving to himself and the world that it was not only acceptable to but even better to "Think Different". Each generation has their own revolutionary icons that symbolize "Think Different" or "Be Different". For previous generations, political leaders or artists have been their revolutionary icons. Examples can be found in one of Apple's "Think Different" ads, which points to people such as Mahatma Gandhi, Pablo Picasso and Martin Luther King, Jr. However, when I look at contemporary political leaders, I often get the sense that most of them are saying "Think This" instead of "Think Different", which is perhaps why I think of Steve Jobs as a revolutionary icon for my generation.
In our highly networked world, we run the risk of losing our personal identity and creativity, especially if we start primarily defining ourselves by the networks that we belong to and succumb to the "Think This" commands of others. Because of this danger, we need to cherish the "Think Different" approach to life. In the coming weeks, many tributes will be paid to Steve Jobs and his brilliant inventions or ideas. Recognizing him as an ingenious inventor is indeed a great tribute. However, Steve Jobs was also a revolutionary icon, and as such, his iconic role may even be more important than his technological innovations. Therefore, the best tribute to him may be for all of us to keep on trying to "Think Different".