The Icons that first stood out in my mind were the emoticons, the Golden Arches, and all the people with headphones. The emoticons are those annoying little facial expressions made from key combinations on your computer such as :), :(, and :D . The Golden Arches are the universal symbol for McDonalds. The people with headphones are usually sporting MP3 players.Why I Chose These Icons
Emoticons were the first icon that I thought of. I see them everywhere, even at work (on government e-mails). I don’t think that I ever receive a text message or IM without a few at the end. I next tried to think of what kind of symbol I see every day. McDonalds immediately sprang to my mind. I see it at least twice a day on my way to and from work, not to mention all the others I pass throughout the weekends. The last symbol took some extra thought. What symbol do I see representative of our lifestyle. I thought of the people that seem to spend their lives in headphones.
What They Mean to Me
Does everyone use the little emoticons except me? I have been guilty once or twice (ok…maybe more). I know that it can be difficult to express yourself through e-mail or especially in a short text message. The emoticons can help with these problems to some extent. If you say “I don’t think so,” it may sound harsh. If you add a “;>)” wink to it, then the meaning changes to say “just teasing.” Although they are not very professional, they do have their uses.
The giant “M” for McDonalds is all over the world. I have seen commercials and stories that show people from a large variety of cultures visited their local franchise. It is kind of comforting to know that when you visit I foreign country, there is the possibility of at least one place with recognizable food. The headphone craze is just that…craz-y.
Everywhere I look I see people wearing headphones. Even while riding down the road I see teenagers, and sometimes adults, plugged in to some kind of device. I guess what this means to me most is a safety violation. Kids on bicycles or skateboards riding on the road are another safety issue. My feeling on this is probably why I notice their usage so often.
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emoticon (November 19, 2009)
http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/ (November 19, 2009)
http://cdn.buzznet.com/media-cdn/jj1/headlines/2008/05/scott-speedman-bicycle.jpg (November 19, 2009)
Great choices :) (had to do it...)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny that one of the few things recognized the world over are the "golden arches" from McDonald's? I bet you could show them to 100 different people from 100 different countries and most if not all would know what they stand for. As for the headphones and emoticons, if they disappeared tomorrow I would not be sad. At my work people use headphones to make it "look like" they are listening to something so people won't talk to them - it is extremely annoying - although, emoticons in work emails come in a close second. I think all three of these things are definitely part of our current culture, for better or worse, and you did a good job explaining them. Keep up the good work!