The technology keeps moving forward, which makes it easier for the artists to tell their stories and paint the pictures they want.—George Lucas
The fascination with Instagram and Pinterest is more than an annoying habit; it’s changing the world
We’re calling them Generation Z, those who are currently teenagers, and already they’re having an impact on the world. Wth smartphones glued to their hands and cell phone cameras ever at the ready, one of the traits this generation has learned from the Millennials right before them is that experiences matter over materialism. The big difference between the two group of youngsters, though, is that Gen Z is finding ways to make everything they do an experience, whether it’s the ride to school, ice cream afterward, or brushing their teeth before bed. Everything ends up on Instagram. And if it’s going to be on Instagram, one has to look good doing it.
Helping teens decide what makes them look good is Pinterest. Unlike their parents, who use the social media app for things like recipes and decorating ideas, Gen Z pins pictures of street styles and ads from their favorite online magazines so they can put together their own wardrobe combinations; a little of this, a touch of that, and they have a look that is all their own.
Now, imagine what it would have been like had my generation had cameras at the ready and an easy distribution method when we were teens. While we almost certainly would have taken just as many pictures as teens today do, what we captured would have likely been different. For starters, I’m not sure how often we would have been able to see anything due to the overwhelming amount of smoke that was everywhere. Even the few of us who didn’t have a pack of cigarettes tucked away somewhere had plenty of friends who did, so even a picture from the back of the driver’s ed car would have had smoke. No wonder we’re all dying.
Would looking at pictures of ourselves all the time given us a better idea of what to wear? While I’m still seeing 70s influences for the third season in a row, most of us actually had the fashion sense of a squirrel, and if one looks at the majority of us today, that hasn’t changed much. Of course, we country kids weren’t as big on the super-wide bell bottom pants as the city kids were because they were a hazard; those flared legs were dangerous around farm implements, so we tended to keep our 501s with a boot leg for practical reasons.
One thing for certain, though, had we had phones back then with the capabilities of those today, we would have captured some kick-ass music events. Imagine recording AC-DC, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Buffet, Foghat, Chicago, The Doobie Brothers, Three Dog Night, or Led Zepplin back in their prime! Bands that are being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next month were still young, the concerts were legendary, and what happened after those concerts is responsible for Generation X. Imagine how great it would be if we had captured that all on Periscope and then saved it!
Being able to take plenty of pictures as we go through life sounds like a great thing, but there are consequences to such an over indulgence. The first one, right off the bat, is storage; it was a problem when I was a kid and it remains a problem now. We weren’t terribly shy about taking pictures when we considered it worthwhile, but where are those pictures now? Chances are, a few are stuffed in envelopes at the back of a drawer or file cabinet. My mother was into scrapbooking as she got older; what remains of ours are in a couple of large plastic containers under a bed at my brother’s house. Teens today, though, tend to not keep their pictures all that long. When the card on their phone begins to get full, they start deleting. They’re too young to realize the value of the pictures they’re taking today. After all, they’ll be taking more pictures tomorrow. Unfortunately, of all those experiences they are having, it’s not until years later that they’ll realize which ones were really important.
The other consequence is that taking so many pictures and sharing them changes how we shop. An article in Busines Insider this morning details how the Gen Z fascination with pictures and Instagram and other social media is killing more traditional retailers like the Gap, J. Crew, and Abercrombie & Fitch. Not only that, but it is that same attitude that is leading an increasing number of designers to shift their runway calendar so that instead of showing a season ahead for department store buyers, more and more are showing current season and allowing for instant online purchases immediately after the show, skipping both the buyer and the department stores all together.
How and when we take pictures, and our fascination with sharing them, changes our decision-making process, from where we go on vacation to what we’re having for dinner. Since almost everything we do ultimately has some economic tie to it, that impulse to share everything online is dramatically altering the world’s economy, for both better and worse.
When I first picked up a camera some 30+ years ago, my dream, along with those of my colleagues, was that maybe one of my pictures might have an impact on the world. Just one. Today, kids with smartphones are changing the world with every picture they take.
And more than ever, if there are no pictures, it didn’t happen.
Morning Update: 08/02/24
Rain, rain, everywhere, rain. The lawn may never get mowed at this rate. At least not before temperatures are back up in the 90s next week. We had so much rain yesterday, that a part of Interstate 465, which goes around the perimeter of the city, was flooded and stopped traffic at rush hour. You can imagine the mess and backup that caused. There was more rain off and on throughout the night and there’s a pretty decent chance we’ll see more this afternoon/evening before a low-pressure system moves through. That could make things a little dicey if you’re planning on hitting the Foghat show on the free stage at the Indiana State Fair tonight. Personally, I’ll be staying in, close to the bed, ready to curl up and metaphorically die. Again.
Between downpours yesterday afternoon, G helped me move some things out to the curb for heavy trash pickup that is, allegedly, supposed to happen today. In theory, the first Friday of every month is supposed to be heavy trash pickup, but for both June and July, that Friday fell on the week of a holiday, which pushed normal trash pickup out a day. For whatever reason, when that happens there is no heavy trash pickup. Of the things we set out, scavengers picked up the old refrigerator that died back in May. Good luck getting the damn thing to work, guys. We’ll see how long it takes for the rest of the stuff to disappear.
Tipper is proving to be a good friend. When her new furry friend was pulled out of class for an IEP evaluation, she was asked to sit in the room with him to help him stay calm. They’ve created a very fast bond that allows them to watch out for each other and be each other’s confidant. Someone tugged at Tipper’s tail yesterday and word got back to the school’s Dean. He promptly facilitated an apology from the student responsible, something that Tipper was not expecting. Again, this strongly reaffirms our decision that PPHS is the best high school for her. Her first week has been surprisingly positive all around.
Not every school is as safe as PPHS. Topping local news this morning is the story of yet another teacher/pastor being arrested for producing child porn. Seriously, is no one catching the trend here? The number of cases of sexual assault and child porn being committed by pastors and other church leaders has been off the freakin’ charts! I know pedophilia is a big issue among conservatives, but people, the problem is not with drag queens or trans people. The problem is right there in your own churches! Wake up and smell the bullshit! Just two days ago, Christian Post announced that one of the founding elders of Gateway megachurch was forced to leave amid allegations of child sexual abuse. Increasingly, it’s becoming obvious that the least safe place for your children is at church!
There’s bad news from the American Cancer Society this morning. A study published in Lancet Public Health shows that cancer rates among Gen X and Millenials are increasing, sometimes dramatically, for 17 different cancers. No one seems to be able to understand why. What is especially bothersome is several of these cancers have been in decline among older people. Specifically, the increases in the following cancers are disturbing:
Endometrial cancer is not only the fastest growing in terms of diagnosis, but it’s also the highest in terms of mortality. This shit is kinda scary, kids! With there being no firm explanation for why these cancers are increasing within these two age groups, you’re pretty much on your own in convincing your doctor to screen for tests. Don’t be afraid to stand up and advocate for yourself!
Of course, the big news this morning is the Russia-US prisoner swap that happened early this morning. It’s the largest post-Soviet prisoner swap to date and has been forever in the making (almost two years). You’d think that this would be something everyone would agree is a good thing. Nope. The Orange Felon has decided that the prisoner swap was “bad.” The guy who hates cat ladies is desperately trying to give the Orange Felon undeserved credit for the swap. If you haven’t figured it out by now, the GOP knows no low that they’re not willing to exploit in this election. The head of the GOP in Kansas has vowed to rid the state of the “Democrat infestation.” They’re grasping at straws as the Felon’s own words are rapidly sinking the ship. There’s little question in my mind that the hate speech coming from the right side of the aisle is just getting started. Race, gender, and even Judaism are being set up as targets. This is going to get nasty.
The situation in Venezuela isn’t likely to get better soon. The US has officially recognized opposition candidate Gonzalez as the winner. Maduro still swears that he won, and is likely to manipulate the courts to keep control. Expect more chaos there over the weekend.
If you travel with your kids, you’ll be interested to know that a proposed US rule would ban airlines from charging parents additional fees to sit with their children. Why this isn’t already a rule doesn’t make any sense to me, but then, the airline industry as a whole strikes me as being rather clueless. If you’re traveling anywhere remotely close to the Middle East, though, you might want to check with your carrier. More airlines are either canceling or diverting flights over what are considered dangerous regions. Tensions are high as it seems almost certain that the entire area is about to blow up.
Oh, this just popped up: Police are investigating hate speech targeting the Olympics opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times he tries to explain that there was no intended mimicry of DaVinci’s “The Last Supper,” right-wing idiots around the world are still issuing death threats, public insults, and defamation at a level that is illegal in France. This just further proves how intolerant, weird, and frankly, stupid the far-right is no matter which country they’re in.
Ugh. Why has this taken so long to write? Well, there might have been a rabbit hole or two along the way. When one consumes as much news as I do, it’s easy to become distracted. Let’s get on with our Friday, shall we?
Party on!
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