1/The intersection of Technology and Art.
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5/Artists saw first the limitations of the past, the insufficient ways of old, and sought to express that to usher in a new & better future.
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6/David Bowie said in an interview that the Internet was the end of the global phenomenon of musical icons that defined a generation.
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7/He was right. The internet gave us the option to shape our own individual tastes and preferences apart from the dictates of mass culture.
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8/As globalization and access to information increased so did the segmentation and polarization of individuals and groups.
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9/The radio & MTV after the 00's had less effect on culture. Musicians of all kinds split into niches and subcultures, as did all arts.
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10/This permitted a flourishing of original work that occasionally seeped into mainstream culture, but was more often for a small audience.
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11/There is no longer one market for Art of any kind—there are millions of niche markets with a negligible net impact on global culture.
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12/There is one aspect, however, in which we are all being shaped and influenced the same way, sharing the same cultural reality:Technology.
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13/In the past two decades Technology has replaced the role of Art in culture. Tech shapes culture, but it still doesn't know the rules.
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14/Technology has created a cultural shift in our collective experience of reality, and part of it is also a shortened attention span.
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15/This, of course, is not something that technology itself should be blamed for. Technology is merely used as means to an end.
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16/Some thoughtful people like Steve Jobs understood the role of Art and sought the intersection of Art and Technology in their products.
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17/Steve was a visionary because he wanted Technology to have the same cultural impact as Art, and to also serve the same benefit & purpose.
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18/His goal and outlook was to be guided by the principles and function of Art both in the design and the utility of Apple products.
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19/In that he succeeded, and for that reason Apple became one of the most loved, recognized and profitable companies in the world.
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20/Technology only forms part of the equation. Technology is a means; it gives you the how. Art, music and literature show you the why.
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21/Art was responsible for reacting to culture in the past, paving a new way. In this age, that role is up to Technology to fulfill.
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22/A reactionary shift to a culture of short attention spans and inability to do deep work might come from Technology informed by Art.
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23/ Or—more optimistically, perhaps—it would be Technology as another form of Art, which it certainly can be, although it isn't there yet.
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24/The problem is that short attention spans also form a culture in which deep work in Art has no bearing; thus creating a vicious circle.
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25/Art (In which I include literature and music) functions to broaden our perception and restore us to our humanity via our senses.
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26/But with shortened attention spans we cannot hope to pay enough attention to reap the benefits that the deepest work of Art provides.
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27/Without these benefits of Art (or Technology as Art) culture stagnates, and its movement remains a downward spiral, externally dictated.
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28/A Technology that seeks to serve the function of Art is a humane Technology—one which enables culture & humanity to flourish and expand.
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29/The reaction to the current economic model of Technology will come from Tech-Artists who see its deleterious function and object to it.
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30/Such a technological counteraction mirrors the artistic counteraction of the past and is imbued with the same values & ideals.
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31/Art alone can't do it; it has too little influence. Technology could, if it learns the rules. And that might be to the benefit of all.
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32/ FIN. Hat tip
@naval for prompting this train of thought. Link to David Bowie's interview below (Worth watching).https://twitter.com/naval/status/908754922333540353 …Show this thread -
33/ David Bowie on the impact of the Internet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaHcOs7mhfU … As always thanks for reading.
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End of conversation
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