Icons, A Sign of the Times

In today’s society of fast paced living, reality television and technological advancements, none exemplify current contemporary icons and are part of mainstream daily life better to me than The Biggest Loser, Super Size It, and the IPhone.  I have chosen these three "addictions" because their similarities are also strange contradictions to each other, which makes for an interesting comparison. 

Why is it that millions tune in to watch a bunch of fat people lose weight every week?  We long to see how they are doing, sometimes badmouthing those who don’t seem to be pulling their weight or putting in the effort.  Maybe they are trying to cause tension between housemates as part of the game.  We eagerly watch their transformations, and we are amazed by the 15 pound loss in a mere week’s time.  Again, I have to ask, how real is this reality TV show anyway?  How realistic is it to think that any of us watching will ever “live” a life like the one in the house?  Certainly we all know that creative editing is used to peak our interest, increase viewership, and sell advertising, all of which are far more important than keeping it true and "real".  Think of all the merchandise and millions upon millions spent to get the latest book, food and Wii games  just to mention a few. 

On the other side of the spectrum, conflicting although it may seem, may actually help to explain the intrigue with The Biggest Loser, is the trend for fast food and sit down restaurants to "supersize" almost everything.  No wonder we not only want but need The Biggest Loser.  It’s as if we feel “cheated” if our plate is not full from rim to rim.  This isn’t healthy, and statistics have proven that America is getting more and more obese.  Even our first lady sees the danger to our society, and has started an initiative to help educate our children in hopes of creating awareness and a fun easy way to go back to some of our “old” and healthier non supersizing ways.

Finally I think one of the most important icons to represent our “addictions”, in this case to technology and the lifeblood of connectivity is the IPhone.  I have chosen the IPhone because staying connected to everything and everyone around us at all times is almost a necessity rather than the luxury it once was.  If by chance we lose the ability to connect at any time for any reason, whether because of a service outage or leaving your IPhone at home, we almost freak out and experience anxiety over the disconnect.  It is as if not having your connection for even an hour is a life altering event. 

Today many jobs require employees to stay connected 24/7 even after leaving the office.  Immediate gratification to any inquiry is the new norm, and news can be spread across the world in just a few seconds with a click or a search.  How did we ever exist 20 years ago without them?

Every time a new version comes out, you hear about it on the 6 o’clock news.  Lines form and people rush to be the first in line to get theirs, sometimes a day or more in advance.  Since when is a new product considered news worthy and important enough for me to camp out on a street corner overnight?  Is news no longer news, but instead an extension of the latest trends and icons?  I know people who will not go to bed without their IPhone at their side, just in case someone calls or texts them.  We have even created a whole new language around the trend for text messaging and instant messaging.  Years ago if you wrote a note to someone and typed “IKR”, your teacher and everyone else would be mortified at your seemingly laziness and poor use of grammar.  If you don’t know what this means, you may be considered out of touch with reality. 

It is interesting to think that a phone, reality TV show and size of a dinner plate can be connected in any way at all, but I see each as a sign of the times and current way of life.  I also see a possible lesson here; that sometimes too much of a good thing, isn’t all that good after all.