Everyone Will be World Famous for 15 Minutes

Technology has democratized everything and we’ve lost something along the way.

Before the internet and indeed before the advent of the personal computer, getting information out to the world was no easy thing. If you wanted to get people to read your ideas you had to submit them to a platform like a newspaper or a book publisher. There were gatekeepers. The same thing went for visual media. Visual artists and photographers lived and died based on the acceptance of galleries, magazines, and other media. Many people found this frustrating because this process could strangle new ideas. However, we never realized how important it was to have those gatekeepers and how much those gatekeepers improved the quality and veracity of the content that was released to the public.

Technology Before The Change

Although we are now used to an endless procession of images, video, and tweets, there was a world where those things were hard to produce. There were important technological changes that took place that enabled what we now know as media. Before the personal computer and the internet (and certainly the smartphone), producing images and video was an expensive process. Cameras were expensive, development and editing took sophisticated equipment that had to be purchased or sent out to companies. Printing was expensive as well. This meant that only venues with the finances to afford these services and equipment were able to produce content and distribute it. There are many magazines and book publishers that have been lost to history because they catered to small niche markets that made sense when the inexpensive nature of the online world didn’t exist.

These outlets represented a certain taste and a certain type of content. Editor and creative directors made decisions about what was worthy and they helped artists as well. There was a certain amount of mentorship that helped certain people really develop their craft. Technology has circumvented that process. A filmmaker might make short films with limited budgets or work with a small studio and then slowly work his or her way up to larger budgets and bigger studios. Directors might work on the crews of several films before making their directorial debut. Writers could start with small magazines and journals use those clips to begin writing for bigger publishers. The best part was that much of this work was paid and it allowed some people to survive enough to keep working. Visual artists might start in a small gallery and work their way up to a much larger gallery over time. As their sales and their work improved they could carve out a career for themselves.

The Crash

Digital photography made a big splash in both filmmaking and still photography. It promised a much cheaper future without the expense of film and developing. Digital offset printing made printing books cheaper and on-demand, rather than having to pay for an entire print run. These technologies, along with the personal computer and the smartphone began the march of putting sophisticated tools in the hands of everyday people. Soon, instead of taking the time to submit to magazines, you could open a blog. Photographers could start a website and later an Instagram page and reach people directly with their content. This also meant that more and more people were producing content and there was no real process to filter out for quality. Instead, everything was on display for an overwhelmed consumer.

The other downside is that the free nature of the internet gutted the business model for many publications, even major legacy publications. Everyone within media has suffered round after round of layoffs and companies have attempted to innovate with differing models of subscriptions and advertising. However, the digital dollars available have never matched what was available before the internet became the most common distribution model. This also means we have far fewer gatekeepers and taste makers than we’ve had in the past.

Curation is More Important Than Ever Before

The internet has created a platform that allows almost anyone to create and distribute content. Getting an audience is still a process but the reality is that putting out content will usually attract some sort of audience. However, it can be hard to consistently access quality content from quality people. All those gatekeepers and tastemakers have been removed and it has had a profound effect on our society. Conspiracy theories and fake news did not spread nearly as fast before the internet. But even with the advent of YouTube, there is more content being produced than any one person could ever consume in their life. This is an area where magazines and media have excelled. They are doing an even better job than ever before of presenting content that is quality and of value. That’s certainly what we’ve tried to achieve at Rouges Magazine.

Technology and the availability of inexpensive equipment and the worlds largest communication platform has created some interest opportunities but I can’t help but look to the past for what we’ve lost. We’ve lost great publications. The book business has solidified. Indie film has exploded but also at some cost. Video has taken over allowing personalities we would have never heard of to break out. Some of them produce quality content and others produce brain-numbing drivel. Could the curation of media become more important in the future? Only time can tell. However, one thing is clear, we have lived into the answer from Andy Warhol. Anyone can be world famous for 15 minutes.

Want to Learn More?

This book that I have on the bookstore right more really digs into what we’ve lost in the digital world including quality and curation. The best part is that you can buy it right here at The Widgery Reading Boutique.