America Wants It. And America Wants it Now

America has evolved into a country that wants everything IMMEDIATELY. From the creation of fast food to the invention of Google, having almost anything we want be instant is very important to us. The camera brand Kodak has always recognized this characteristic and capitalized on this demand. They were the people who invented Polaroid and since it has been discontinued, Kodak has needed to find a new product that provides this feature an In one of Kodak's recent commercials for a new product, a father is holding his new born son as his wife sleeps in the hospital bed. He takes a picture of the baby and proceeds to click around on his camera and sends the photo to his mom's email as well as posted it on Facebook.

This commercial is a perfect reflection of many embedded mentalities in America societies. For one, America is always looking to cut corners in order to make everything as quick and efficient as possible. With my camera, I have to plug in a wire to my computer, select the pictures I want, and then go through another uploading process to get them online. Kodak's new camera allows us to skip the majority of the steps in order to upload a photo. The fact that they had to create this camera shows that there is still a demand for this feature. It also shows our desire to share information with everyone around us. Of course when good things happen, like having a child or attending a wedding, people want to share these moments with family and friends. It is furthering our country's drive to always keep people in the loop with our lives.

But I feel there is a bigger issue with the commercial as well as a huger risk at hand. This heartwarming commercial is covering up a great amount of bad that comes with wanting things fast. Our obsession with instant gratification is getting absurd. The phrase "patience is a virtue" does not apply to America anymore. I find this sad because there are things in life we cannot rush. You simply have to wait. I also think this perk of the camera is asking for trouble. Though it's geared towards an older generation that is beginning to buy cameras, who is the primary consumer? Teenagers. What age group is having issues with uploading and sending raunchy pictures? Teenagers. The concept of "sexting" (sending sexually suggestive content by technological means) is on the rise amongst younger kids. This camera is going to enable and encourage this activity.

America needs to relax. Having certain things kept to yourself, waiting for something, and remaining calm and collected are good to incorporate into daily life.