A Creative Disruption

        I came across an article called How The Internet Is Saving Culture, Not Killing It by Farhad Manjoo and there were some points he made that I disagree with. Manjoo argues that despite the decimation of newspapers and the destruction of the old order, this time period is not a period of death, but of rejuvenation and vitality. He mentions that the digital economy is beginning to consolidate due to the enormity of subscriptions which he says is a sustainable way of supporting content. If there are more subscriptions to comedians, youtubers, or podcasts, it would shift the way we find new talent by inspiring us and invoke a new period of creativity. It would build closer connections with people who enjoy art and the artists themselves.
     Well, I believe the internet perpetuates content curation and also allows misinformation to spread and become common knowledge. Much like what Neil Postman had stated in his book Amusing Ourselves To Death, people often reference other people's work in order to make a statement without taking account the meaning, scope, or validity of the work they are alluding to. That work becomes quoted and referenced by future generations, perpetuating a system of content curation in an endless cycle. The internet produces content curation faster, thereby diluting actual facts with re-written content and out-of-context quotes. The vast amount of ideas we are surrounded with makes creativity seem more like sampling rather than originality. How can a somebody become creative if they continue to blurb plausible lies? Has the internet limited our creativity?

- Cynthia Thach