1984 Apple's Macintosh Commercial - 26 Years Later

Watching PBS' "Digital Nation," last night and with The Superbowl coming up this weekend, I couldn't help but think about this commercial from Apple in 1984.

I guess you could say this one's for those in the under 30 crowd who love and at times seem even addicted to tweetin', facebookin', iPoddin', myspacin', smartphoning, emailing, Internettin! (is that a word?), "don't call me, text me!" "don't look at me! IM me!", "Where's my blackberry? I cannot live without my blackberry?" "Has anyone seen my laptop? I can't function without it!" and more crowd.

The message I got from this commercial looking back on it 26 years later as an adult is, Don't become a slave to the technology out here today. Don't become a drone to it. It's actually OK to come outside and even fight and resist "the matrix" sometimes! To not lose yourself in all of this that we now have available to us technology wise today. That social etiquette's, social cues, being your natural funny, emotional, human self, your real, personality-filled, spiritual self, and being your true natural organic self and learning how to deal with real life issues and real life in the real world will always be important. Very important. To never become a mindless, soulless drone no matter how far the technology progresses in our lifetimes. Go outside! Engage in real life with other real people.

OK, I'm off my soapbox (for now!) Back to the commercial...

This commercial was Iconic. Big Impact in 1984. Many considered it brilliant and genius. I would have to put it as the most talked about commercial of '84. People were recording it on their VCR's to have a copy of it. This commercial became a big news story in 84 as well. To the point they interviewed the makers of it. We were all familiar with George Orwell's book "1984" as it was required reading in JH and HS in many schools but this commercial seemed to come out of nowhere. Definite attention grabber. People actually had group discussions on it's meaning. Some groups and organizations wanted it pulled because they thought it had hidden messages and meaning in it about society in general. Some thought it signaled what was about to be ushered in whether we wanted it to happen or not, again, like the book "1984" by Orwell. I remember it was controversial to many for various reasons.

At the same time I remember it being parodied. When something hits the Pop Culture mainstream on this level I guess it cannot help but touch a nerve here and there. This did. A pre-cursor to the computer digital age we are in now? Way before the concepts of The Matrix. That a computer company made it, doubled the impact! This commercial had a lot of folks thinking! Some were frightened for what was to come! Same impact the book had to many.