I watched this video due to my interest in philosophy and sociology. The creator discusses an important topic that impacts us drastically, especially those on the forefront of societal change. However, the video does not directly speak about creativity or the creative world. What it does is discuss the broad implications of how a post-modern society evolves our contexts into a world of obscurity, hyper-individualism, and symbolism.
Therefore, I ask the question: how does such a world affect creativity?
From my point of view, a post-modern world produces a creative drive that primarily focuses on numbers, algorithms, illusion, and competition. The Internet, as a tool and platform, enables people to showcase creative work to millions of people. The algorithm utilises these posts to filter what people want to see and what they don't want to see. Therefore, many creatives opt to create the illusion of being the most unique to propel them to the forefront of the algorithm.
In other words, the competition for attention is so severe that people strive to disconnect themselves from others, moulding an individual that is particularly unique to the eyes of the viewer. However, is it a true individual or just a brand that the creative person forces?
I could write forever about this, but I decided to simplify my thoughts about it. I'd love to go deeper if anyone wants to discuss. What are your thoughts?
Discussion (7)
The postmodern internet world seems to invite hyper niche communities (cbx?) and content. It seems as though you can go deeper on particular subject simply because they are accessible today, leading to some rich development in a variety of topics.
+1
It's really nice that the internet has all sorts of fun nooks and crannies. I think those can go awry if unchecked (echo chambers, toxic viewpoints, etc) but overall a net win
I like this more optimistic perspective! Niche communities can be a great source of camaradrie, development, and inspiration. I always enjoyed witnessing and partaking in some of these niche communities because of the fruits they yield (e.g. friendship, knowledge, etc.).
Thanks for this positive reminder Jeremy!
I do agree overall, but the posts themselves still need to appeal to eye balls somewhere. That leads to content that can appeal to a large audience, and I don't necessarily think that being more unique or creative is the driver of that. We have seen examples of extremely un-creative or non-unique things do well. You might even think to yourself sometimes, "I feel like I am doing something uniquely creative, why does not one care". I think most of the time the digestibility to a large audience is what drives a platform.
You make a valid point with digestibility! Many platforms succeed in growing a large audience due to their posts being digestible. In relation to post-modernism, people's attention seems to be what these platforms compete over. Therefore, a more digestible post/platform will likely succeed over others.
I also believe that the Internet gives people, both 'consumer' (i hate that word lol) and creator, the ability to produce niches in their own corner. In essence, there's something for basically everyone. Many choices; maybe too many depending on how you look at it.
I see pretty much modern day "peacocking" on social media. Especially from streamers and creators who DO NOT have a particular genre of content (such as gaming, comedy, artwork, etc). It makes sense given the video you posted, that there are people with "no purpose", and this leads to pretty hallow crazy content content for attention.
'Modern day peacocking' is a lovely phrase to encapsulate social media. It just seems like there is an innate strive to gather the most attention, or hold a percentage of the attention. But, what is the purpose of obtaining such noterity? Is it simply to share the cool things one makes or does? To make money, be famous? As you said, it seems hallow and crazy.