Look At Me! Notice Me! … Or At Least My Vanity Plates

Thousands of drivers spend good money — $45 in New York — to stamp a personal message on their license plate. It seems like the more affluent a county, the more this activity is going on.

Psychologically speaking, why do people like personalized or “vanity” license plates?

It’s hard to separate vanity plates from UTube, MySpace web pages or vanity-Googling. Information flow has never been faster and more saturated than it is now, and when you combine human egos with that technology, there’s a big need for attention. Look at me! That’s what vanity plates, personal websites and UTube videos scream. Connect with me! That’s what online dating profiles beg. Here I am! That’s what mobile phones with photo taking and sending capability foster.

The reason this vanity is happening in more affluent communities is that these technologies are pricey, relatively speaking. The cost of a vanity license plate is a lot for some people, and so those with more disposable income are more prone to spending it on vanity license plates and other technologically “monogrammed” or personalized items.

But even when there is little to no money, people still find ways to call attention to themselves — through graffitti and personalized tagging, piercings and other make up like tattoos that create the same message with less technology involved.