Some Thoughts On New Media

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Sean Sandulak

(Or I’m not a celebrity but I play one on TV)

We used to sit around the campfire and stare at the stars. There wasn’t much else to do. Then someone said “Hey do you remember that mammoth we killed today?” and someone answered “Yeah, I do.” and drama was born. Then someone farted and comedy was born.

When I was growing up there was a lot less to watch on your little magic box. When you found a good show, you planned your life around it. If you missed an episode you had to wait to watch it on repeats. And you watched the repeats, because you would pick up detail and missed jokes. Now, you’re lucky if you see something once.

The new media experience is not one of anticipation but inundation. It is like trying to catch snowflakes on your tongue. For each one you catch there are a billion more that go by you. And once you’ve caught that one, it instantly melts and is gone.

For emerging artists, the new media landscape is full of pitfalls as well as opportunities. While it’s true that anyone with a computer can now have their voice broadcast to the entire world, it’s true that ANYONE with a computer can now have their voice broadcast to the entire world. A great many people who would previously be silent, except for ranting in their local pub, can now step up on a digital soapbox and demand to be heard.

We hear so many voices that we can’t help but shut out all the ones we disagree with. For all our shiny, beeping toys, we are still gathering into tribes of like-minded people. And we still tell one another stories so the dark doesn’t seem so scary.

Also, fart jokes. Funny.