We live in the age of celebrity, in an era where being heard amidst all the noise and media pollution is merit enough to deserve recognition. The current Presidential primaries are proof of that. I feel a lot like Doc Brown, interrogating Marty about the future.
Then tell me, future boy, who’s President of the United States in 1985?
Ronald Regan.
Ronald Reagan? The actor?
Yes, we’ve progressed (or regressed) to reality TV show personalities for our potential POTUS. A fact made more incredulous by the inflammatory rhetoric fueling his campaign. His comments do one thing very well though; they further increase his mind share in the public. To slip from memory is the killing blow, and to combat that, he’s ready and willing to tell the middle east, women and the rest of the world to blow him.
At the end of the day, you know him. I haven’t even said his name, and you know of whom I’m speaking. The reason any of us know who Donald J. Trump is, is because of his celebrity—his brand.
Which brings me to last night’s episode of Silicon Valley. In the middle of one scene the staff talk about the designer for Pied Piper’s new logo, Mari Sheibley. For those of you who don’t know, Sheibley is a very real person who designed much of early Foursquare’s mobile user interface and badges. I only knew who she was because I drew a lot of inspiration from Foursquare when designing my own app. While researching, I found out about Sheibley and luckily found her site: Mobile Patterns.
So when they wrote her into the script for Silicon Valley, my first question was, “Did she really design the logo?” I hit up Twitter to see if she cared to comment.
@nmatares hah no I did not make that
— Mari Sheibley (@mari18) May 2, 2016
After a little chuckling and fact checking, I thought to myself, for whom was that joke made? What microcosm of the target demographic watching Silicon Valley was going to get this? I only knew her because I am an app designer. How does Mike Judge know the ins and outs of corporate and start-up America so well? I have to believe one of his writers on staff was an entrepreneur working on some iPhone app start-up before pivoting to a career in screenwriting. How else do you know an industry so intimately?
Beyond being so clued-in, I have to applaud them for praising the little guy (or girl in this case). I recently heard that societal interest in design is at an all time high. It’s nice to see a “celebrity” emerge who has earned it.
We may not believe it, but we are responsible for the celebrities who flourish in our culture. Why? Because we choose what is praiseworthy and who deserves a little more real estate in our brain. Keep that in mind the next time you’re discussing the real estate mogul running for president.
I feel like this burden should weigh heavier on anyone responsible for creating the content we digest in our entertainment and news. Please take a cue from the writing staff on Silicon Valley: truly know your subject matter and don’t be afraid to write about people who aren’t as well known as Gates or Jobs. Help create a few mahatma’s who deserve the limelight. It might not be as easy as tapping into the collective unconscious, but your words have an impact and shape the world around you. Whatever you do, please don’t sell out!
Perhaps we’re all connected more than I know. I am a skeptic about a great many things, but I remain on the fence about the collective unconscious. I was watching the Netflix original Love a few weeks ago, and there was a scene where the main characters were discussing their age. One character said she was 33, and my first thought was, “That’s how old Jesus was when he was crucified.” It’s such an oddly morbid association to pair with a number, I know. But the next line in the show, mirrored exactly where my mind went. I wonder how many other people make the same connection. I wonder how many other people had the joke land from Silicon Valley last night?
Maybe it is just a part of becoming older and suddenly finding that you are the demographic with some spending money, that businesses and the media are trying to reach. Walking into hardware stores, you start to hear the music from your generation instead of the Eagles and ACDC. There are over seven billion people in the world, you don’t have to reach them all … just the ones who patronize your business, right?
For all those people striving to be someone who stands out amongst the billions of us, try to do so without losing your soul along the way. SV screenwriters just showed you that it is possible to get your fifteen minutes on merit alone. Do what you do well, and let the rest fall into place. Or be bold, upset the establishment and the status quo. Just do so without being a three commas club douche.
At the end of the day it doesn’t matter which way your car doors open, right? If you’re seeking notoriety, I can’t help you. But if you need a good example of trying to further your name while making a bold statement, go back and watch the documentary, Art and Copy. The story of Tommy Hilfiger could serve as a blueprint for those seeking stardom.
