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Nicholas Dawson
Jeff Naftzinger
ENC 1145
23 March 2015
Effects of Technology on a Sitcom
Imagine what Seinfeld would have been like had they used the technology we have today.
Watch any episode, and look at the technology being utilized at that time in the show. I want to
know, how did technology during the 90s impact the show Seinfeld, and how does that
technology compare to that of technology we use today? I will start by researching mainly the
types of phones, computers, and other technological devices used in the early 90’s. By
researching the different types of phones, computers, and other technological devices used in the
show, we will analyze how technology has changed, and see what differences technology today
would make in Seinfeld.
So how did the use of technology impact the social aspects of life in Seinfeld? Some
people would argue that newer technology makes people more anti-social and reclusive. The
chairman of the department of culture and communication at New York University says, “The
problem is that everyone's just trying to figure out how to use each version that comes out, but
very few people are ... asking how this technology is altering our psychic habits and our social
relations and even our political ideas." (Postman) In Seinfeld the characters are very socially
interactive and don’t spend much time fiddling with technology. Perhaps this is because the
devices used in the early 90s were relatively simple and required less attention compared to
today’s sophisticated gadgets. Perhaps because someone trying to set up a new computer isn’t as
entertaining as Jerry making witty comments about George’s hair.
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When I think about modern day technology, the first thing that comes to mind is my cell
phone. It’s on the nightstand when I go to sleep and it’s there when I wake up. It stays in my
pocket all day, coming out when I enter an awkward situation like being in an elevator with a
stranger. Most people use their cell phones every day to communicate, plan, and socialize. Now
what would you do if I took your precious iPhone away for a few weeks? Do you think your life
would change dramatically? You may actually have to go visit people or write them letters.
Maybe talk to your crush in person, rather than hiding behind the safety of text messages and
social media. It’s a very scary concept, I know. But in the early to late 90s when Seinfeld was
being aired, it was a reality.
I believe that the lack of cellular phones is very important to the overall success and
humor of the show. A show about four friends today would feature them sitting on a couch
playing Xbox, taking breaks to check Instagram on their smartphone to see how many likes their
“#throwbackThursday” picture got. A poplar show of today, Modern Family, often shows kids
glued to their mobile phones; being quiet and seemingly occupied by a non-human entity. In
contrast, there is never a time in Seinfeld where the characters are being anti-social due to an
electronic device. Life was much simpler during the 90s. If you wanted to talk to a friend, you
just called them or went to their house. At least if you call someone there is still the human
interaction of hearing someone’s voice.
The average person spends twenty-three days per year using their mobile phones.
(Motoharu) Can you imagine Kramer sitting in his apartment alone checking his phone, rather
than sitting on Jerry’s couch talking about anything that popped into his head? People’s need to
feel electronically connected to society is very addictive and a huge waste of time. In writing this
paragraph I stopped to check my phone, which is very hypocritical. Seinfeld never included the
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use of smartphones 1: because they hadn’t been invented yet, and 2: because watching someone
stare at a piece of metal and glass for thirty minutes is boring as hell. People love watching
genuine social interaction between two people who are face to face, not communicating via text.
An article from the year 2000 foreshadowed technology’s influence on how people interact and
spend free time by saying “The way people spend their leisure time while at home has also
changed radically in the past 100 years. These changes are still being felt in households,
especially with regard to leisure related devices.” (Motoharu) I think that one of the main reasons
that the show is still popular is that we find the character’s social interaction during leisure time
interesting, considering most of our leisure time now includes electronic devices.
People who watch or have seen Seinfeld know that Elaine is a very sarcastic, almost
bitchy character. But to the audience, she’s hilarious because her jokes are light-hearted and
they’re always followed by a hug or wink. The show would be much different with the
introduction of text messages. Have you ever gotten a text that was really rude, and you can’t tell
if the person was being serious, or if they meant it sarcastically? Notice that there was never any
drama involving electronics and Elaine in Seinfeld. Now imagine Elaine calling George a “bald
butterball” in a text message. We know that George is insecure about two main things: his hair
and weight. George cannot distinguish between seriousness and sarcasm in this text because he
only has the words. The words aren’t accompanied by Elaine’s comforting, sarcastic tone,
making it hard to determine whether or not she is joking. The acting in Seinfeld is phenomenal,
and we can always tell when someone is being sarcastic. The reason for this is that everything is
said face-to-face or over the phone, rather than through texts.
Obviously phones were used in the show. Mainly a landline only used for a second or
two, followed by the person on the phone coming into scene shortly after. But fifteen years ago,
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the cutting edge of a mobile phone was bigger than your shoe and had very basic functionalities.
Phones were used for calling people, that’s it. They had large, usually plastic bodies. Long
antennas that stuck out over the user’s head prayed for a cell tower not to drop the call. Mobile
phones were also not cheap. They were a status symbol for the upper-middle class, and not
everyone had them. Most people used landlines in the 90s, a medium of technology that is very
close to being wiped out by cell phones.
The use of mobile phones in society today is increasing at an alarming rate. Research
done by Dr. Motoharu Takao states: “The research group estimates that at least 70% of the
Japanese population and 62% of U.S. inhabitants used mobile phones in 2005. In Australia, 81%
of people used mobile phones in the same year.” Mobile phone use is skyrocketing, but in the
90s mobile phones were just being introduced. Mobile phone use in Seinfeld was hindered by the
lack of knowledge and technological innovation that went into the now commonly used device.
Comparing mobile phones of today to mobile phones used in the 90s is like comparing a
rocket to a rock. There is more technology in the cell phone in your pocket right now, than that
of what was used on the first space shuttle. (Howell) Seinfeld has been on television for almost a
decade and a half, and it’s amazing to see the technological improvements of the mobile phone
over the years. Perhaps the usage of phones in Seinfeld was hindered by their usefulness. Phones
were only used to call people in the time that the show was being aired, so they weren’t a major
part of the show. Sit-coms now incorporate phone usage by creating situations like when the
father is mad at the daughter for being on her phone constantly. This relatively common
argument wouldn’t have been relevant in Seinfeld due to the lack of capabilities of their mobile
phones. Fewer capabilities meant less time using the device, which made more time for physical
human interaction.
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Today we use phones to access the Internet, text people, check emails, social media etc…
Our phones now incorporate a flashlight, camera, GPS, answering machine, and of course the
ability to call someone. Modern cell phones have become a major part of everyday life for us and
we rely on them heavily. But while Seinfeld was being filmed, they were non-existent making
face-to-face social interaction more prevalent. I believe that the absence of this now common
technology made the show more enjoyable. Kramer never texted Jerry before coming over, he
just barged in. George didn’t use the GPS in his smartphone to find the Bubble Boy’s house, he
used a map. Jerry never had to worry about what to say in a text to a girl, he would just talk to
her. It’s interesting to watch the show and make comparisons to how someone would deal with a
situation having the smartphones we use today.
Computers were not as widely featured as phones in Seinfeld, but I still find the
comparison between what was used then vs. now interesting. The average laptop used today
weighs about three pounds. Multiply that by ten, and you’ve got the common desktop computer
used by most people in the 90s. The Internet was slow in the computers used during the Seinfeld
era, and they didn’t have nearly the storage modern computers posses. An article written in
2000, almost a decade after the show first aired says this: “Indeed it appears that a substantial
majority of households will have at least one personal computer by 2005. These are probably
best seen as a general-purpose tool since personal computers may be used for entertainment,
office work, letter writing and communication.” (Llyod-Smith) Computers are a relatively new
innovation and many people did not have one for personal use in the 1990s.
Computers in Seinfeld are usually seen at Elaine and George’s workplace. We can
imagine that they were being used to send emails or browse the Internet. But in reality, the
computers featured in the show are either broken or not running. This goes to show how little
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computers and technology as a whole were needed to make the show funny. Computers were not
widely used by household consumers until 2005 according to my research. In fact, only 60%
people with the financial means to own a computer had one as of 2000. I spend about twenty
hours per week using my computer for schoolwork and entertainment. In the Seinfeld era, this
was unheard of.
In the estimated twenty hours per week I spend in solitude using my computer, it’s hard
not to imagine what I would be doing otherwise. In Seinfeld I assume that time would be spent at
the coffee shop, talking about Elaine’s new boyfriend or Kramer’s new (old) job making bagels.
I believe that the introduction of the modern computer we use today has had two main effects on
society. Computers make people more anti-social, and more inclined to watch hours of Netflix
while ignoring the outside world. (Llyod-Smith) But I also believe that computers have made
people more productive in some aspects. Computer use in business and schoolwork has
revolutionized how quickly things get done. I can send an email in 0.02 seconds, but in the 90s
you’d have to pray for the Internet to work or just send a written letter. There is good and evil
that comes with all improvements of technology, recognizing which is which is the task of the
user.
Obviously technology was not a huge part of Seinfeld. The show gained popularity and
success from the humor given off by the actors. It’s called a situational comedy; meaning that
what makes it funny was how the actors reacted to certain situations. The lack of technology use
is what I believe makes this show so interesting. Current sit-coms like Modern Family have
introduced cell phone use to adhere to modern times. But I think that face-to-face comedy and
genuine connections, rather than electronic conversations make for a more entertaining show. In
collecting research for this paper I realized just how much technology use has increased in the
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past decade. While looking at the era of technology used in Seinfeld, I was shocked that the show
is still very popular. Jerry and the cast may not have had the latest and greatest iPhone or
MacBook, but the show was still a success because the plot line is genuinely funny and relatable.
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1990S: The Diffusion Of Household Technology In The Decade 1985-1995." Prometheus 18.4
(2000): 403-415. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
Takao, Motoharu, Susumu Takahashi, and Masayoshi Kitamura. "Addictive Personality And
Problematic Mobile Phone Use." Cyberpsychology & Behavior 12.5 (2009): 501-507. Academic
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