Re: [microsound] the culture industry

[Simon Hampson <mlist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 4/12/06 11:56 AM, "Stephen Hastings-King" <roachboy@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> what exactly is "the culture industry" in 2006?
> where does it stop and start?

Sorry to snip your email here Stephen but this reminds me of an interesting
book I have just read.

Chris Anderson (editor of Wired) has recently released "The Long Tail". His
theory is that the internet will move businesses away from the top of the
products curve and in to the 'long tail'. Where total sales are from many
more items but in much smaller quantities.

So how does this tap into what you are saying?

If our culture moves away from the 'hit machine' that has been prevalent
throughout the 20th Century. If we drive more deeply into the niches and
people are encouraged to explore their individual tastes rather than their
manufactured tastes.. Surely it bodes well for the variety of things we will
be exposed to?

But it also means that commercialism moves more deeply into our lives and
interests.

As we move our interests and consumption into the digital domain, the data
on our habits and preferences multiplies. Anderson draws much of his data
from places like Rhapsody and Amazon. They're on the upper end of the curve
for collecting that 'anonymous' data. Then you have the burgeoning number of
companies that are analysing p2p traffic over the internet.

I have recently read Philip Ball's book "Critical Mass". In it he looks at
culture from a birds-eye view (why mass change or motion takes place in
society). When I consider his arguments in conjunction with the data that is
being generated about us on a daily basis it doesn't bode well for
individual action. Especially action that is not anticipated.

I haven't entered the file "sharing" debate because I think it is a little
circular.

However, no one has mentioned my believe that the industries concerned are
partly to blame. They resisted the move towards digital/online consumption
and created a lot of the drive towards p2p.

But at the end of the day I think the extent of the problem is inflated by
the media & the constant debate about it.


Simon.



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