Culture and Industry: Past, Present, and Future

---

The other day as I was lying on my floor, I stared up at the ceiling of my dorm room and smiled at the realistic Pac-Man and Tetris screens that circle around the fluorescent light. Yes, I have old school video games on my ceiling. Last year my roommate and I decided to decorate our dorm room in a slightly unconventional manner. An 80s-themed room was exactly what we decided we needed to escape from the crazy culture of the new millennium. Our room is complete with posters from the 80s, Pac-Man and Tetris on the ceiling, and a Rubik’s Cube ottoman (not shown because it is currently covered in clothing). The parts of the room that aren’t covered in clothes or books serve as our daily get-away from the crazy culture and industry that surrounds us and reminds us of a simpler and arguably cooler time period.

It seems to me that people today either reflect back on past cultures or industry, such as my roommate and I do, and wish they were a part of it. Reminiscing is often easier than accepting current trends and technology. I also think that people’s mindset is constantly focused on the future and what is to come. Many think about the technology that will make our lives easier and fantasize about what new innovations will be available in the next few years. I guess it’s this advanced and revolutionary thinking that produces the newest technology, but it just seems that no one thinks about current industry, trends, and culture. While I too am a culprit of focusing on past and future industry, rather than examining what is taking place in society now, I think we should be more aware of how our culture has been shaped by previous industry and what our contribution can be in the future. I guess things like this blog will help us to take a closer look at how our society today is in contact with the culture of our industrial country.

---