An analysis of instant commercialism

An interesting event today online that I’m calling “instant commercialism.” Here’s the breakdown:

• At roughly 10:03 am, someone named Jeremy emails BoingBoing about a picture in a slideshow on the MSNBC site for the Bush Inauguration that features the First Daughter Jenna Bush showing off the manu cornuta. Here’s the BoingBoing post.
• Someone points out that the MSNBC site has taken the pic down and replaced it with some shots of fireworks, but mentions that it would make a great parody T-shirt a la this one from the guys at Penny Arcade.
• At 12:30pm, Grant Henninger has the photo photoshopped and ready, and a Cafepress site ready with the shirts for sale.

Of course…Jenna is probably not pledging her allegiance to either rock or the Dark One, but is more likely giving the “horns” from the University of Texas where she is a student. Judging from the fact that her mom and dad have both been caught on camera doing it, seems a family kinda thing.

In any case…in a roughly two hour period we went from “odd pic of first daughter” to “buy the t-shirt”. Behold the power of the Internet!