Most of you have probably seen, heard, or–if you’re one of the many robots masquerading as people living among us–telepathically downloaded off the Internet the hashtag #Bendgate or #Bendghazi. It’s no secret that on social media, lots of people are finding that their new iPhone 6 Plus bends really easily. The initial complaints of users whose phones had accidentally bent were soon followed by a barrage of Youtube videos on the matter. In response to the allegations of bending, Apple came out with an official statement saying that “a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus”, despite their having sold more than 10 million devices (both iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus) after just the first three days, essentially denying that the phone could bend using only the force from one’s hands. Even though users continue to complain about their bent phones, Apple has made no further comment on the matter, though most major media outlets have denied that the phone actually bends.
The whole controversy seems to have split the Internet into two factions. On the one hand are those who believe that the phone does bend, and this group seems to include mostly Youtubers, including Lewis Hilsenteger (from the channel Unbox Therapy), who uploaded the “original” iPhone bending video, and independent tech websites. On the other hand are those who firmly deny that the phone can bend, and included in this group are most major media. I did a bit of googling and found that USA Today, the Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN, FOX News, and NBC all fell into this group. Initially, the media responded to Youtube videos showing that the phone could bend by having news anchors try it, but of course the anchors were “unable” to bend the phone with their bare hands. Later on, Consumer Reports released their own video showing a machine calculating the force needed to bend the phone, and affirming that it would be impossible to do so with one’s hands. In response to the Consumer Reports video, one independent website, 9to5mac.com, accused Consumer Reports of not applying the stress test to the correct spot on the phone.
So the accusations go back and forth, and for people who don’t actually own a bent iPhone 6 Plus it’s difficult to know who is telling the truth. The independent website analysis does seem more credible though; the Consumer Reports test does, in fact, test the middle of the phone. This is an area that is much more reinforced than the where the phone actually bends, just under the volume buttons. So why can’t we all just agree that the iPhone bends? Of course, the theory had been advanced by those who think the phone bends that the media is being paid off by Apple to deny all allegations. Which is entirely plausible, since a good chunk of American media reported that the phone does not bend. So the bigger issue here is companies controlling the mass media, and this turns us to the question: Can we trust everything we see on social media to be true? Is social media more or less trustworthy than the regular media?
If you’re not already checking your Facebook feed on your bent iPhone 6 Plus because you’re bored of this article, kudos to you for sticking around until the end. And no, I don’t have any cookies for you.
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