Is the Autograph Dead?

       Taylor Swift wrote an article in the Wall street Journal about how autographs “are over.” No, I didn’t read it straight from the article at first; The Huffington Post posted an article on the subject and got me thinking about it. 

       Her article was very true! I am not famous and people do not come up to me to get an autograph so I am certainly not highly qualified to say it is true, but think about it, when/where do you see people running up to celebrities asking for an autograph anymore? When you watch award shows most of the time all you see are fans snapping photos and selfies of their favorite celebs. 

       I remember back in the ‘90s and early ‘00s when I would have killed for an autograph of famous boy groups like Backstreet Boys, Nsync, and other popular bands and celebs of the time. I remember getting my magazines of “m” and J-14 to get the printed poster with printed autographs of those same celebs. Having a hand signed signature was all the proof that was needed to prove that someone indeed met that celebrity!

We live in an era right now that is all about capturing the moment, living events is just not enough anymore. There is a demand for photos or videos to hold true that people really did meet and see a celebrity. The autograph of someone is worth nothing in comparison to a selfie. Taylor swift has been quoted stating that she “hasn’t signed an autograph since the front camera was placed on [cellular] devices.” The extinction of the “autograph” has evidence through technology. With every new generation of phone the camera is one of the first thing being perfected; the demand for the best self-taken photo is high. Even the new generation tablets have a front and back camera when at one time they only had a back camera. My only fear is that people are becoming more obsessed with creating that visual memory and living life through a lens instead of actually living and enjoying life as they live and breathe it.

       The fact that the autograph is lost is not some global epidemic, like everything, fans just evolved into yearning something better and more memorable. What do you think, has the autograph been dismissed? If you were to see one of your favorite celebrities, would you ask for an autograph or photo first?