The problem with modern-day consumption of art 

A few weeks ago I was confronted by the arguably hard question:“How do you find your music?” My response was a long sigh, several shrugs and then finally “Um… spotify probably?”

“How DO I find my music?” This question triggered a spiral of thoughts and it all ended with a giant “Oh no!”. The answer wasn’t that complicated. I could trace every single song I’ve ever found from a certain spotify playlist or a certain movie I liked, or even a certain place…

This is probably the most pretentious sounding thing I will ever write. But soon after I realised that scarily enough I could link everything I enjoy together.

For example, in year 8, I went through a massive dystopian-scifi phase. Triggered by the popularity of ‘The Hunger Games’ it resulted me to find other books of the similar genre  such as “1989”, a book that changed the way I think. When I went through my angsty-depressing-teen lit phase (that I’m sure many other people went through) after reading ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’, it linked me to other books such as ‘Franny and Zooey’ and ‘The Catcher in the Rye’. This is exactly the same with my music: yr9 was pop-punk, yr10 was garage rock, and now it’s shoegaze.

But what’s the problem with this anyways? Well, I have never left these genres that I was exposed to. I never read horror or mystery and in many ways I have been stuck to this web of genres, digging myself deeper, thus limiting myself. (”Limit” makes it seem purposeful, but I see the problem as more passive.) I have always viewed capital-A Art (including music, film, books and all that snazzy jazz) as a way to broaden your mind, branch out to other fields such as politics and philosophy, and relate to people that have more differences than similarities to you. I am also one of those people that take pride in my tastes of music, film, and literature. You may call it pretentious, but I see it more as self-indulgent.

The core problem is this singularity and restricted way of consumption and appreciation. We often limit ourselves to few genres or certain themes in all art forms. This might not mean we dislike other forms, it’s just that we wouldn’t be exposed to it. The reason I think, is human nature, the nature of art and the way art is marketed nowadays.

This problem is one of those that lurks like a whiff of odour in the dark alleyways of cities. It wouldn’t intoxicate anyone, but it definitely isn’t pleasant. It doesn’t directly affect any stakeholders, or cause physical nor mental harm; instead, in a larger picture, if you look at humanity, culture, individual thought in it’s entirety, it is prevalent indeed. It is a general problem, affecting many— yet, the resolution isn’t simple at all.

But… WHY IS IT A PROBLEM?

1. It makes it hard to branch out in ways larger than simply art
   Art connects us to larger things such as politics, culture, ideas, and  people. For example, a person into Anime would learn a lot more about asian culture and asian ways of living, opening their eyes to different festivals and food. But if you didn’t watch Anime, this different side would be harder to access.
2. We become too quick to judge
   A person could easily go “I don’t like rap” by basing their opinion on a few rap songs that appear in the Hot 100s once in a while, yet
3. We become less open-minded to different ideas
   Art is the vessel of ideas, and through it flows personal thought. Restricting one vessel (even unintentionally) restricts the person. Through art we relate to different struggles, either of race, or of social class; we understand different emotions

THE WAY WE ARE

To all those avid-psychology learners out there – yes, this is another case that Social Identity Theory applies to. Tajfel (1979) theorised that we all belong to certain “in-groups” and “out-groups”, basically groups that we belong to and others that we don’t. Say you belong to the working class. It would only make sense for you to like and be exposed to things that people similar to you conventionally like/are exposed to. After developing this identity, it will also mean that you are more likely to develop similar tastes to people around you.

We usually talk about art and the things we like to people that like the same thing as us. Your group of friends probably like the same type of music, and this might just be of chance or because of other social factors. When talking about a shared love for a band to a friend for example, the enthusiasm and adrenaline just increases exponentially as the love keeps bouncing off each other through verbal communication. Nothing is more exhilarating than this never-ending, passionate ramble. Nothing is better than sharing a common interest.

In addition, it is hard for us to step out of our comfort zones, because we fear venturing into a genre that we might ultimately dislike. We like to read the same thing because we know that we like it. Personally, I find it harder to watch a new genre of movies (especially when I have to pay for it) because of this. This is exactly the reason why I have never watched a horror movie in the cinema before.

THE WAY ART WORKS

Alain de Botton believes that art serves five main purposes. It makes us feel hopeful by showing us things that are “aesthetic”, yet it also shows us the raw and human side in all of us. It makes up for parts of us that we feel like we lack, and it helps us appreciate little things that we usually dismiss. In a way, we appreciate the same type of things, because its the ones that triggers us the most. 

This is completely true. Artists have always written with the intentions to be emotive, it is like bleeding into a page, screaming into a song, or crying through the forms of paint. All art forms, let it be music, films, or literature, allows us to feel connected, passionate, emotive, and feel enlightened with a larger beauty. This is why it is so permanently engrained in all of us.

According to Nietzsche, our view on beauty depends on the way we see things. We are the source and cause of beauty. Through Art an artist reflects the beauty within him to the word. As he famously said: “The world is a work of art that gives birth to itself.” 

Most of us appreciate and love art because of it’s overwhelming beauty. Our perception of beauty is reflected in the type of art we love. However our interpretations of beauty are usually the same, hence we find ourselves constantly going deeper into one particular genre. 

“Isn’t the whole point of things—beautiful things—that they connect you to some larger beauty? Those first images that crack your heart wide open and you spend the rest of your life chasing, or trying to recapture, in one way or another?” ~The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt

(The Dead Poets’ Society, 1989)

THE WAY WE CONSUME/APPRECIATE 

As I mentioned before, I had a massive thing for angsty-teenage literature. (Actually my obsession over “angsty” things also stretches to the realm of music and movies.) In fact, I still do. Partly, the reason could be because just like the angsty teenagers in these books, I am one too (or so I’d like to think). 

So why is this the case? Well I would like to borrow the wisdom of F Scott Fitzgerald, with a quote that is conveniently displayed on a poster in my English Literature class a wall opposite to my table.

“That is the part of the beauty of all literature, you discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely or isolated from someone. You belong.” ~ F Scott Fitzgerald

Simply put, Fitzgerald is saying that we like the things we like because we relate to it and from this we feel less lonely and more accepted. I think this is a glorious perspective, and as a result of this I have copied it down multiple times in my Englit notebook. 

Our consumption of Art is largely based on what we relate to. In The New Yorker’s article “The Scourge of Relatability” the writer Rebecca Mead talks about this idea intensively. Here she talks about how how “identification with a character is one of the pleasures of reading, or of watching movies, or of seeing plays”, and how basing the quality of books solely by “relatability” is a “failure”. 

“To appreciate “King Lear”—or even “The Catcher in the Rye” or “The Fault in Our Stars”—only to the extent that the work functions as one’s mirror would make for a hopelessly reductive experience. But to reject any work because we feel that it does not reflect us in a shape that we can easily recognise—because it does not exempt us from the active exercise of imagination or the effortful summoning of empathy—is our own failure. It’s a failure that has been dispiritingly sanctioned by the rise of “relatable.”

This is the big problem, however it is only an umbrella the overlooks consequences that cause smaller problems. Most of us appreciate and love art because it is relatable or because we can link it back to something that is already present in our life. Due to this reason, it becomes a never ending circle of exposure.

THE WAY WE CONSUME ART IN THE MODERN AGE

This article by Vox, highlights how the evolution of consumption especially due to the rise of the internet could cause a singular and restricted approach to media. Here the writer uses the example of Netflix and movie consumption on the internet.

The writer states that:

1. Many people explore films is through the internet. A handy way to explore films is to follow the “You Might Like” cue to guide us. These websites (Netflix, youtube, imdb) have caches and other methods to track usage so they can recommend videos of similar style to ensure our liking. 
2. The way we flick through movies online is almost random, and lacking of thought. It is easy to click on a new link; a lot easier than consciously making the decision of wanting to rent a movie, getting clothed and prepared to go to the video store, and then going through the tiresome process of picking a new movie. The latter example consists of more thought than the first.
3. The way movies are presented in a video stall is more open than on the internet. Movies aren’t organised by genres, instead they’re placed alphabetically. There are also shelves for best-sellers etc. 
4. In a video store, you are browsing movies alongside other cinephiles, all of whom have different tastes to you. By looking at what other people watch, you can try out different things. 
   
   

I find this idea completely relevant.  For all my visual inspiration I resort to Tumblr or instagram. Here I generally follow accounts according to my interest. This leads to pretty limited exposure. This is similar to music where I listen to set playlists in spotify and listen to them again if I like them. 

WHAT CAN WE DO?

1. Be more aware
   Through realising the way we consume/appreciate art we can slowly detach ourselves from this monotonous routine that we subconscious adhere to. We can purposely true new things, venturing into new genres and stepping out of our habits 
2. Revolutionise the way we become exposed to art forms especially through social-media
   Now this is the tricky one. We all love the “recommended for you” youtube videos and the “spotify playlists”. What would 8tracks mixes and goodreads lists be like without being separated into genres? 
3. Talk more about art
   Talk about art to everyone! Not just people that like the same things as you! It is so much easier to talk about school work to classmates because we know we’d get an equal response. We are all annoyed about the amount of work we have to do— who isn’t? But we should try and step out of our comfort zone and talk about less monotonous matters and let our passion and humanity spill. We should express ourselves and talk about things we like. Through other people’s passion we’ll learn more about things we might be hesitant about thus learning more.

Article by Yuk-Ting | Photo by Taylr Anne