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From Hula Hoops to Skype –
a new paradigm for our age |
by Anthony Ryman |
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Let’s take a journey back to our past in order to understand
our future. |
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| The 1950’s was an innocent time, a time of recovery. We’re coming out of the devastation of the war years, the years of austerity and suffering are behind us. We’ve got a new-found confidence, a desire for better. The 1950’s can be defined as the decade of “you are what you do” - a job for life, the gold watch, the picket fence, two kids, a fridge, a black and white TV, Frisbee’s and Hula Hoops, Juke Boxes, James Dean and Chewing gum and a Chevrolet. Movies like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Ben Hur and of course Rock and Roll with Buddy Holly and Elvis, the Cold War pitting the might of USA vs USSR. It was the birth of capitalism and Coca Cola culture, and then came the 60’s. |
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| The 1960’s. The decade that brought us flower power, hippies, Woodstock and Nixon. And of course Vietnam. It was a time of counter-culture and revolution, of social activism it was a time as Timothy Leary put it, “ of turning on, tuning in to their inner vision, who are dropping out of the TV comedy of American Life.” And Man walked on the moon. The 60’s can be defined as the time of inclusion - “you are, I am, we are”. |
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| The 1970’s. “I am me”. It was the time of the Me Decade (Tom Wolfe) moving away from social activism to social activities. It was the birth of “The Pill”, emancipation of women, the nuclear family, the oil shock of 1973, the rise of the middle classes and gay rights, the birth of the micro-computer, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Who and Glam Rock. David Bowie, Disco Music, Punk Rock and Bob Marley. We laughed at Mash, cried at Love Story, loved James Bond and couldn’t get enough of disaster movies like Airport and The Towering Inferno or horror movies like The Exorcist or Jaws, the 1st real blockbuster movie and the rise of Steven Spielberg, followed by Star Wars and George Lucas. And then there was the Apollo moon landings and Voyagers to outer planets. It was also the rise of terrorism and skyjackings and the birth of the Ayatollahs. |
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| To the 1980’s. “I am what I buy”, consumerism of the 80’s – Personified by Gordon Gecko and ‘greed is good’ à la Wall Street. Me, me, me and what do you think about me? It was the birth of the Yuppie, Baby Boomers, the wannabe, Break Dancing, Skateboarding, Boom Boxes and Cabbage patch Dolls. It was also a return to conservatism and religious revival, increase in divorces, child abuse, rise of Oprah Winfrey, Boy George and the Apple Computer, mobile phones, Windows and the Chernobyl disaster. Rubik’s Cube, Ninja warriors, MTV and Michael Jackson. Aerobics, sugar-free, Dallas, Dynasty and our ‘Material Girl’ Madonna personified the age. E.T., more Star Wars and Arnold The terminator vied with Rambo and Ronald Reagan danced with Margaret Thatcher. |
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| To the 1990’s…“I buy what I want to be” – an aspirational expression of who I am and the hope of the future aspiration of who I want to be. The early 90’s and the great leap forward, the hope of a new generation, China, India. The 1990’s, collapse of Soviet Union, spreading democracy, explosive growth of Internet, Intel processor, Windows 95/98 and the rapid spread of globalisation, via CNN and integration of popular and modern culture leading to the hyper excess of the late 90’s takeover fever and mergers and excess to the point of no return expressed through “I buy therefore I am” till the death knell of the 90’s sounded. Iraq invaded Kuwait, Gulf War , Balkan War, Aids invaded everywhere, the Berlin wall crumbled, tattoos and bosy piercing became popular as did environmentalism and entrepreneurship, Friends and Bill Clinton who had Monica, Elton and David, Video Games, birth of the SUV, snowboarding, Grunge, Heavy Metal, Britpop, Hip Hop, Generation X, The Macarena, Seinfeld and The Simpons |
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The new age of the second millennium began with no Y2K the most successful olympics ever. The new middle class consumers of China and India, worries about energy supplies, worries on Climate change, war on terrorism, 9/11, Bin Laden, Iraq War.
Life is moving faster, and as the pendulum swings, we take note of a new optimism and confidence which brings in a new wave of more inner-directed approach to living. The digital convergence gives us the freedom to build our networks of like-minded individuals, our communities.
Self actualisation and expression of the self in a more caring, sharing, community of like-minded people through Facebook and myspace.com and other social networks. The rise of the eco warrior, green technology, ban on smoking, drinking and rise of gyms and healthophobia, vegetarians rule OK, peace marches, large scale benevolence, “giving is good” has led to the slogan being “I buy what I believe I am”.
This is the new paradigm; our inner selves expressed through
the things we buy and how we feel we are or how we would
ike to feel. |
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