Sometimes a single image can sum up the spirit of the age better than anything else.
Hillary Clinton was campaigning in Orlando, Florida at the weekend where the crowd secured that most prized of all modern mementos: the selfie.
But this one was particularly epic.
This image, taken by Barbara Kinney, a photographer on the Clinton campaign, was shared on Twitter yesterday, and has since gone mega-viral, having been retweeted over 16,000 times.
The picture shows the crowd of younger voters turning their backs to Clinton, who is perched on a stand, in order for them to all frame themselves in a picture with the presidential hopeful.
The context of the picture isn’t known yet: it’s very likely that Clinton invited the crowd to all take a selfie with her, rather than the mob simply being rude by turning their back on her.
Still, people online have been referring to the picture as both a monumental indictment of modern narcissism, and a “dystopian” glimpse of a future where style trumps substance.
It’s doubtful that Hillary has given the wider existential meaning of the viral selfie image much thought, as she has much bigger things on her plate right now.
Imagine Donald Trump sitting in the Situation Room making life or death decisions on behalf of the United States. pic.twitter.com/YFraVXr5Zf
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 25, 2016
Tonight, she faces Donald Trump for the first of three planned presidential debates. Such is the level of anticipation in an ever-tightening electoral race that many pundits are predicting the debate will be the most watched political event in American history. Indeed, ratings watchers expect as many as 110 million people in America alone to tune in.
Coverage starts here at 1.30am Irish/UK time, and will be shown on all the major news channels.
