by Josh Kimball
Crank up the “Auld Lang Syne.” It’s the end of a long year, and while each annual trashing of the calendar holds its own special meaning, this page change is especially big. At Iconoculture we watch the trends — large and small — that shape consumer culture. And this year’s shifts were nothing short of historic.
It feels like forever ago that the Beijing Olympics happened, and, in many ways, it was. Even since then, the global currents have shifted, with an especially deep sea-change here in America. What’s happened? A lot. After a long, hard-fought race, we finally picked a new president. Our very economic system started to crumble: Epic bank failures and bailouts abounded throughout a rocky autumn. Finally, the domestic auto industry, spurred by a credit crunch, a bursting of the housing bubble, low consumer confidence and a dozen other grim metrics, faltered — and got a bailout deal of its own. Happy holidays?
This week Iconoculture runs some of the stories that best resonated with our readers in 2008. In addition to analyzing the wildly changing political and economic landscapes, we’ve spent the past year publishing critical thinking on topics of import to consumers and reporting on timely (sometimes even fun) expressions of the consumer culture. Keep reading Iconoculture’s “Best of 2008″ for a look back at some of the stories that caught people’s attention over the past year. And have fun turning the page on 2008!
