Cash is the New Black.

Deciphering who we are...




In response to:


http://www.soulpancake.com/view_post/1465593/is-art-whatever-you-can-get-away-with.html

"I like money on the wall. Say you we're going to buy a $200,000 painting. I think you should take that money, tie it up, and put it on the wall. That way, when someone comes to visit you, the first thing they would see is the money on the wall" - Andy Warhol


Theorist Harold Innis pointed out that humans assign objects a perceived value that may not reflect their real value. After reading the quote by Andy Warhol and considering Innis' point, I realized that our society is completely facilitated through the idea of 'value'.

Value is attached to everything around us. Our home, our clothes, our modes of entertainment, etc. But the question is ... what is it that dictates these values? Why is it that a cotton shirt from Abercrombie and Fitch is more than three times the cost of a cotton shirt from Walmart?

The value comes from the label because it is a way in which people feel they can define themselves. Like value, people attach labels to just about everything. We label people fat, skinny, pretty, ugly, etc. In the case of clothing, sporting a label can define one's economic and social status. A few words across your chest can convey just how "cool" you really are.

The value we attach to clothing, cars, homes, etc. can be a form of non-verbal communication. Imagine putting a bunch of strangers into one room and asking them to socialize. Two girls who are seen wearing Juicy Couture are going to form a bond based on their mutual interest. Without saying a word these two girls can say "hey she's cool, she's rich, she's into fashion - i'll be her friend!" Wearing a label has become a decipherer of personal value.

Despite the lessons we learn in pre-school that "what matters is on the inside", the emphasis society has put on valuable items makes it impossible to ignore the trend. In order to impress people today, we have to dress in VALUABLE clothing, drive VALUABLE cars, decorate our house with VALUABLE paintings and instead of wearing our hearts on our sleeves, we showcase our bank accounts from head to toe.

Twitter Me This, Twitter Me That...

What's are my closest friends up to? What's new with my family? What am I doing?

Well, my older brother Rob finally got a data plan for his blackberry. My younger brother Ryan is extremely frustrated that his XBOX 360 online connection is down. My friend Carleigh has lyrics to a song stuck in her head. I am working on one of many assignments due within the next two weeks.

...I'll admit, I haven't spoken to my two brothers or my friend today. Instead of making a long-distance phone call or spending time writing an e-mail, I can take the short-cut. The click of a mouse lets me stay connected to my loved ones by checking their status updates on Facebook and/or Twitter. Twitter and Facebook have completely collapsed time and space. No one needs to be in the same place at the same time to communicate, just simply check eachother's profiles!

The status update is having a profound effect on social interactions between individuals. According to McLuhan, it isn't the content of these status updates that is important, it is the fact that it exists in our culture and that utlimately it is revolutionizing it.

In the case of Twitter and Facebook, it is possible to stay connected with friends and know what they are doing without even having to speak. We are seeing a decline in the need for the telephone, e-mail and even face-to-face communication. Who has time for small talk anymore? In a culture where time is money, people want to retrieve information quickly and efficiently, and move on with their day. Status updates are quick snipets of information that keep us connected, but still leave us time for other tasks.



The changes in modes of communication are also bringing about change in economics, as prophesized by McLuhan. Signing up for an account on Twitter or Facebook is free; no hefty phone bills and no money spent on gas for friendly visits. Our entire society has transformed into a collection of people looking for social and economic shortcuts.

People, myself included, may have lost touch with the ability to reach out to others to find out what they are doing. It seems as though the world has become a collection of birds - tweeting rather than talking.