Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Opinion

I'll admit, before I bought my Motorola KRZR, I had my reservations. The fact that its front faceplate doubles as a mirror made me feel as if I were one purse short of becoming a lady. But I liked the other features the KRZR had to offer, so I cast my manhood aside and told myself I would never use the mirror; I bought the phone.
Now, from time to time, I find myself cautiously using this mirror to check my hair and teeth.

I don't blame myself though. I'm simply a product of a generation that has become fixated on the self.

If you sit on one of the benches between Mendocino Hall and Placer Hall and observe those who pass by for a long enough time, I bet you will start to notice a ton of people checking themselves out in the reflective windows of Placer. I see it regularly, and it makes me laugh.

Unfortunately, I have only scratched the surface of this issue.

Regardless of whether you are considered a member of Generation X or Generation Y, the majority of us are part of what I like to call "Generation I." This is a generation of people who are independent and generally vain, conceited, and lacking civility. Hey, at least I can admit it. We are living in an age of vanity.

This generation was born the day that reality TV was invented. Game shows have been around for a much longer time, but the people on those shows are merely participants. Reality TV shows gave ordinary peoples the chance to be the star. And who doesn't want to be a star? Most people probably wouldn't mind being famous.

The fact that reality TV made a bunch of dumb blondes from Laguna Beach famous proves that it has the power to create an "instant celebrity." Luckily, achieving fame through reality TV does not usually require any prior credentials. You don't need a bachelor's degree, you don't even need acting classes; you just have to be interesting. And nowadays, who doesn't think their life is interesting?

The creation of YouTube expanded this opportunity at instant fame. It gave average, boring people the opportunity to be seen dancing, acting, or attempting "Jackass" stunts by millions of people. Now every "Real World" reject has a second chance at becoming an overnight sensation. YouTube encourages people to "Broadcast Yourself," and they have done so under some rather peculiar circumstances. A kid playing with a lightsaber, a guy singing and dancing to a Romanian song, and another guy who wants everyone to leave Britney alone, have all become famous for, well, nothing.

Facebook and, to a greater extent, MySpace are the epitome of the I Generation. It seems as if MySpace has created a way for people to never have to ask the question, "Would you mind taking a picture of me?" Simply hold the camera backwards, extend your arm, and click. Voila, you just took a picture of yourself! Now Photoshop it, lather, rinse, and repeat 80 times.

Some people have 50 pictures on their profile, and 40 of them are just pictures of them alone. Don't you have any friends? It says here you have 267 friends.

Most people don't stop at the "self-portrait," they clutter their page with personal information and more pictures, they take surveys and post them as bulletins, and they write blogs about their most recent angst. It's almost like these profiles double as an encyclopedia of a person's life.

Now that cell phones have cameras, we are even more tempted to take self-portraits. Even worse, some people are tempted to take nude self-portraits. That's right! Nude cell phone pictures and homemade sex tapes aren't just for celebrities anymore. They too can create the instant celebrity in their own strange way. It seems as if everyone wants to see him or herself in the act, or they at least want others to see it. Let's face it; nobody makes these with the hopes that no one ever sees it.

From as early as our days in diapers, we all want attention. We all want to be seen, heard, and admired. We can't blame bad parenting for the fact that this continued on into adulthood. Reality TV, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, and technology are mostly to blame. Attention craving is based on the basic need for human connection, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. However, it is shameful to be vain and conceited, like many members of the I Generation.

"There's no 'I' in 'team,'" is an old saying. The way things are headed with our generation, it won't be long before there's no such thing as a team.

Brandon Fleshman can be reached at opinion@statehornet.com

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