Lately, I've been suffering a 'crisis of confidence'.
This morning, I decided to ignore my normal urge to plunge into the online world.
It has become my 24 / 7 newspaper.
A window on a world that never stops.
In my childhood, I used to read the newspaper whilst eating breakfast.
It meant that I could start the day with some knowledge of topical news - although we never watched much tv , so I avoided all the celeb nonsense - actually, there wasn't so much of it then.
If someone was famous, it was due to their achievements.
What I mean is there was no connection between wealth and fame.
Or worse, fame for its own sake.
Infact, I think it was seen as somehow vulgar.
The first person who entered my personal radar as being famous 'just because' was Paris Hilton.*
Since then, it's been downhill - which is saying something.
Infact, sometimes I think it's out of control - and with it goes our system of values , where genuine ability was rewarded, as opposed to column inches of magazines and newspapers being dedicated to the next vacuous thing.
The saturation of media with narcissistic personalities has given us a very small ' gene pool ' , where ability is outshone by the cult of personality or wealth (Mr Trump).
...
People like to emulate success.
Although celebrity status is no guarantee of wisdom (Mr Trump).
I think that's part of the problem.
Should someone be able to lecture to us on diet and lifestyle just because they are in the public eye ?
Does their diet perhaps contain some secret to their success ?
Or is their surname Kardashian ?
Of course, manufacturers are always looking for famous people to endorse products - it's just that now we have people being famous for endorsing products.
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| Kaiju culture , or a comment on Donald Trump ? |
The ' old ' media world is populated now by the 'entitled ' classes.
There is no hunger for ' the new' anymore, and complacency is king.
It's already obvious in the constant re-invention of old material, and the remaking of classic films.
Perhaps it's age.
Of course, I am getting old, and am already outstripped by the upcoming ' millenials'.
On the other hand, almost everything now is a reference to what's gone before, so I'm perfectly placed to comment on 'pop' culture in all its forms - cartoons and toys , transient fads or vinyl records or 3D films or clothes or lifestyle.
And this is perhaps, my point.
Pop culture is the main currency now, and we are all part of that.
Citizen microbloggers, You Tubers, Cosplayers, Instagrammers, Minecrafters, Makers, everyone is involved in enhancing pop culture at some level.
It's good to see blind consumerism morph into something more productive.
Not consumption - creation.
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| Memes are a new form of expression ( artist unknown ) |
I've always been fascinated by pop culture , and how it infiltrates and reflects our society.
I remember how strange it felt to live in the nowhere of middle England in 1987, reading manga .
It was like a window to another world - although even that world contained echoes of our own...
Barefoot Gen was harrowing
Which brings me back to this morning, and my determination not to go online.
I failed.
Worse, I responded to an emotive article .
I soon found myself embroiled in an online argument.
In the days of newspapers, it was simply a matter of turning the page if you failed to agree with a piece.
Online, however, you must be prepared to have your entire worldview questioned or brought into disrepute.
It's a minefield - and lately, the scourge of lynch mobs with virtual pitchforks appears to have expanded to Farcebook as well as Twitter.
I thought I'd avoided childish banter by staying away from the ubiquitous ' comments' section of most online articles and You Tube videos.
But it's everywhere.
The end result of online anger is frustration.
All pent up and nowhere to blow.
Unfortunately, the old 'fight or flee' mechanism is sorely out dated in the internet realm.
Way back in the google-free days of the early Nineties, I used to say that coming advances in technology would leave us struggling as a species.
I think we've already reached that point.
So far, we have adapted quickly and well to the smartphone-driven world where images , emojis and acronyms are the new language: where everything is now, and all things are available.
But what next ?
Do we hope for a singularity or an evolutionary leap to lift us all to greater heights ?
Or do we try to slow the advance of technology ?
Do we yearn for the lazy Summers of yesteryear, when time was immaterial , or do we rush headlong into a future propelled by the relentless drive of technology ?
If you choose the latter, be prepared for endless upgrades.
P.s. I've just realised that Paris Hilton is as much a product of pop culture as anything else, so I 'm guilty of cherry picking.
And hypocrisy.
I'll take my meds, now.
*In fairness, Big Brother generated the first slew of 'famous because' in the u.k. way back in 2000.
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