Tag Archives: Greta Gerwig

It is a setting I came across today. It all started innocently enough. I came across a image that had been filtered. Someone had used a Barbie filter on her own selfie and the result was pretty neat. As such I searched for the ‘Barbie Filter’ and a few came up. This was the moment the ground was taken from under me. To see this we need to take a look.

Yes, you get it for free AFTER you logged in, after you handed over your email address. There is even a mention of how to get free credits. Free? Not really.

There were a few free options down the track, but this player (and a few like them) were on top of the list, they made it so. They wanted the word free to lure them in. That is no free, there is for the most no free anywhere. We might keep the word in any dictionary to show its ironical existence in this day and age. 

You see, to see what the marketed greed driven are overlooking is the longer scope of the matter. For this I introduce you to me (see below).

When the movie was made, they added it to their website. Anyone could upload their photo and you would be translated into a Charlie Brown version of you. 

There was no email, no capturing. It was a simple setting and it helped push the movie forward. In the case of the Barbie connected wannabe’s they all want something, that is not free. So, as far as I can tell, I have had this image in use in one way or another for almost a decade, that is something that was really free. I also have a Mass Effect image with me, but that was a launch party event. That doesn’t really count. What matters is that this Barbie issue is becoming a global rage and good for them (Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Greta Gerwig, Mattel and Warner Brothers) We are getting new terms like Barbenheimer and everyone is having a great time. There is even an image of a pink President Biden (in Ken Style) and this is how a brand just propagates. 

This is the moment, not to rake in the cash (other than the tinseltown proceeds) this is to ride the wave of visibility, global visibility no less. But no, some want to cash in. They will say things like ‘We worked hard’ and BS like that, but what they forgot is that with the visibility you grow your label on a global stage, as such you get to create presence like (not a real link) ‘Image created at http://www.WB.com/Barbie’ or ‘created with the filter by MyBrand.com‘ The last part would be totally acceptable, somewhere on the lower lines. That is branding and the fact that I have had my Charlie Brown version for almost a decade is evidence that this works. 

But to the greed driven that is blasphemy. So you decide which track needs to be taken, for me, the setting to trust anyone with my email is a short stop from insanity, especially in this day and age. I see this day as a bit of a disappointment, even the real free versions were lessened by the impact of the greed driven players, but that is life at present. So whilst we consider what next, we might consider deleting the word free from our dictionary and understanding, that is how things evolve and not for the better.

Enjoy Monday.