An Oversimplified Sketch of the Evolution and Further Democratization of Media
Alright, bear with me as I run through a quick timeline of the history of words and pictures. I swear I end up with some kind of point:
The development of writing allowed for unsynchronized communication. We still read the writings of humans from thousands of years ago, communicating across time and space. However, distribution and literacy were limited because the expense of each work and education, respectively.
The printing press provided ease of reproduction. Multiple copies could be created, lowering the expense of distribution and offering increased access to the written word to the masses. Literacy and distribution increased, but presses were expensive and required skill, so publication was limited to a few. Thus, power coalesced around “publishers” and owners of the means of production.
Extending from the printing press is also the radio. General access to produced media is increased, but the production of said media is still controlled by a few.
The internet democratizes distribution. Anyone with access to a computer or smartphone can publish content online that could (conceivably) be seen by anyone with the same access. Attention is identified as the limited resource, so the algorithms and platforms that can direct this attention gather power.
Where does machine learning leave us in this evolution of media? It can democratize “individualization” as we create algorithms that customize the product for each consumer. It cheapens images and videos to such an extent of valuelessness that we call it “slop” at its worst. Some folks hypothesize a more existential change: it doesn’t revolutionize the means of production; it revolutionizes the means of labor. For now, attention remains the resource (along with water and energy, but that’s a different topic).
None of these developments can replace the power of the living moment, however. Think theater or a conversation, hospitality, “word of mouth.” Its the power of improvisation, embodied aliveness, kairos, the exclusivity of a shared moment between mortals (with a limited amount of moments).
I am a graphic designer. I specialize in a form of the “unsynchronized,” visual communication listed out above. But the real work remains everything other than that. How do you work with and live with and serve others?