  In today’s society, people have come up with a solution to not knowing things, “Just Google It”. In many ways this method is very helpful, having any kind of information readily available and the ease of access to this information. Yet this picture depicts a different story. By looking at action and color, we see the symbolism of failure and hopelessness. The photo informs us that Banksy feels the internet is taking over the everyday lives of people. 

  This picture represents everything you see in the world today. If you walk down the street members of the more recent generations are buried behind their phones, blinded by technology. Technology is now replacing things from past generations; a rattle or plastic keys. Which have now become a cell phone or an iPad. Banksy shows through his depiction of Albert Einstein that technology is taking over the younger generations. The photo of Einstein is one of the most relevant pictures of the more recent decades of America. Albert Einstein is known for numerous scientific discoveries, the most notable being his Theory of Relativity, and his Physics Nobel Peace Prize of 1921. Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was used to develop the atomic bomb that would eventually end World War II. Even though he has never taken an IQ test, his intelligence is estimated to be that of a genius. With all of these accomplishments and awards, Einstein still looks as if he has hit rock bottom. His hand holding his head shows the observer that he is beaten mentally. His hand placement is blocking his view of what the actual problem is - Google. Google has changed the way that the public gains knowledge and the way they conduct research. 

  Albert Einstein shows defeat in the picture by his lost gaze into the distance. This expression is the one you have when you wonder what went wrong, with no indication of how this could happen to me. Einstein looks as if he is looking out into the world at you, blaming us for the position he is in. The problem society faces today is that we are so used to having easy access to information at our finger tips, we do not go and discover anything for ourselves. We observe the lesson learned through other’s trial and error when we never really grasped the concept at hand. 

  It is the law when you are out drinking in public, your container must be concealed, but Einstein’s bag is half way off his bottle. This lets us know that he is at the point where he could care less about our opinion towards his actions. Instead, he is trying to find something to numb the pain from being overrun by something without a brain. His reaction to seeing the word “Google” lets us know that he is extremely vulnerable and discouraged. Lastly, Einstein is in a slouched and defenseless position. This position alone suggests that he knows there is no chance for man to outsmart the computer. Not only do his actions portray this, color plays a big role in interpreting the picture.

Color is scarce in this photo. Banksy uses color to highlight his main points in the image. The shirt on Albert Einstein’s body is white and so is his hair. This lets us know that he is in his later years and he is full of wisdom and knowledge. Besides his hair and his skin, the rest of his upper body is black. Banksy includes this because he feels Einstein is mourning the death of human intelligence. Furthermore, Einstein’s pants and the bag around the whisky bottle are both brown. This shows where he is rooted down and is finding most of his comfort. From sitting down to drowning out the thoughts of being overruled by man’s own creation, these ideas transfer over into the American society. The older, more experienced generations look on in confusion because what they created to assist, the younger generations have advanced to do it for them. They know that the younger generations are the future and their thoughts are if they can not do it themselves, there is no hope for us now.

Another representation of color in this Banksy image is the word “Google”. This word stands out in the picture because it is one of the few things that are in color. Banksy decided to paint the word Google in the actual logo colors for two reasons, it gives the viewer something they recongnize, and to show how he feels older generations see Google. Banksy’s image shows us that Einstein is skeptical about Google, you can infer this from the contradicting colors that make up the word. First off you have blue which represents peace and tranquility. At first Google seems like a great tool to help futher scientific studies and research. Then the very next color you see is red, making the person stop in their tracks to do a double take at how they use Google. Lastly is yellow, letting the viewer know that they should procede with caution when using the internet. Banksy is telling us that even though something may look great on the outside, with some analysis, the inside is deceptive. Einstein represents the older generation as he looks at the word Google in confusion, because people use Google for everything, instead of going out and learning things for yourself. 

 Overall, the photo, “Just Google It,”  uses failure and defeat as symbols to portray it’s message. Both of these conclusions are gathered by looking at Albert Einstein’s actions and the colors that are shown in the painting. Banksy does a superb job incorporating real life concepts that people face into two dimensional wall art. Banksy also makes it clear that today’s youth is blinded by technology. On the contrary, Banksy shows that today’s youth has also evolved into “Albert Einstein’s” of the modern era. Today’s youth has pushed the growth of technology to the edge of the unknown just as Albert Einstein did in his prime with the Theory of Relativity.
