The images that define us.

There's a movie coming out from Clint Eastwood called Flags of our Forefathers. I don't know if it warrants a recommendation or if I'll even go and see it (mostly out of fear that it'll turn into another opportunity to wave the stars and stripes around on film for a couple of hours). But it triggered a thought that I've been sitting on for a couple of days.

It goes unsaid that pictures have the ability to inspire us. The entire premise of Eastwood's movie is that the picture of the men raising the flag on Iwo Jima inspired the Allies on to victory in WWII. It pretty much goes without saying that this picture is the most famous photograph ever taken. It not only inspired and glavinized an entire world, it defined the struggles of the millions of men and women around the world at the time.

So what image will define us here in the 21st century? Will there be a photo taken that will capture some eternal moment and sear itself into our collective conscience? The smart money is on Time magazine running the image of the plane slamming into the second trade tower on September 11 as the first tower can be seen engulfed in smoke and flame behind it's doomed twin.

But while this image evokes a strong emotional response it will not be the image that defines us as the first generation of the information age. It will not be one specific photograph that will forever demonstrate and show who we were to future generations. Instead, the image that says the most about who we are as humans in the year 2006 is one that is taken on a daily basis by millions. Hell, it's probably not hyperbole in the slightest to say that this picture has been taken by billions. With the advent of the digital camera, internet hosting, personal blogs and ultimately the juggernaugt that is myspace.com, the image that will be forever associated with who we are can be summed up in a pose.

This pose says it all. Everything you need to know about who we are is laid bare in this picture that we've all taken, all seen, all uploaded at some point. The camera, one of the most incredible devices ever created for capturing life itself is not being pointed outwards at our surroundings or at our environment. The picture of the lone subject photographing themselves, this image that is on millions upon millions of websites and cameras, tells us that we are no longer as interested in the world around us as we are interested in us. This picture defines us as the people who's priority and focus has shifted away from the external and onto the internal.

This image that defines us does so not by capturing who We Are but who I Am. The picture of Iwo Jima shows us the power and strength that is inherant in all people when we are together. This new defining image tells me one thing...

We are becoming more and more, the shadows of our former selves.

*This blog was published image free after the server wouldn't let me put any pictures on it. The irony here is so thick you could butter 7 pieces of toast with it and have 2 pints left over for dinner later on...