Cultural Snobbery Panic!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009 by Elise
Over the weekend I was reading an article by James Wolcott ('What's a Culture Snob to do?') in the August 2009 edition of Vanity Fair (the article can be accessed at http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2009/08/wolcott200908) about the ways in which digital media are replacing more 'traditional' media in public and private spaces, and the possible implications for the ways in which people are 'read' by others. His overall argument is that whereas once one could make assumptions about a person's tastes, and therefore their place in cultural hierarchy, now people display less 'markers' about their tastes, and this is something to be lamented. His by-line was the statement and question: "Pity the culture snob, as Kindles, iPods, and flash drives swallow up the visible markers of superior taste and intelligence. With the digitization of books, music, and movies, how will the highbrow distinguish him- or herself from the masses?"
I found Wolcott's article interesting because it deals with the same issues that are apparent online, in terms of the ways in which one's tastes are markers of their individuality. For example, when we write on a SNS profile / blog / dating site that we like a certain book, the people reading it will form certain opinions of us. Wolcott notes that this is the same in 'real life', as for example if someone reads Harry Potter (either in public, or if the book is noticed in their home by friends), a certain impression will be made of that person. Further, the impression will be different if the person is a 12 year old boy or a 42 year old woman. It was interesting to see the parallels between Wolcott's argument and the discussions that we have been having in class. However, while we have been focusing the ways in which identity is constructed using digital media online, Wolcott took the opposite approach and sees the advent of digital media use as actually hiding identity markers in 'real life'. What is seen as an opening door for some is seen as a closing door for others.
I suppose the question is whether for the individual, the door is opening or closing. Does it depend on whether you are technologically literate? Is there space for people who have no desire to participate in online culture, or have no desire to purchase digital media? Wolcott lists the things that were once cultural markers, but are now being swallowed up by digital media: books being read, book collections, the traditional 'coffee table book', music, music collections, the video store, album covers, magazines. He argues that the very basis of interior design is at stake, because people simply do not own rare art / music collections / whatever to be the centrepiece of their living area anymore. If all of people's cultural tastes are being categorised and filed on digital media, will we find new things with which to identify ourselves? I think the answer is yes, and no. I think that we will find new things, but that the more traditional cultural tropes will not completely disappear. Maybe Wolcott is being a little excitable in his argument - people will still buy real books, even though we can read them online for a price. I know I still would rather buy a real book than download the online version, or buy the disc of it and read it on my laptop. Also, he fails to mention that digital media in itself can be an identity marker. I have a macbook, an ipod nano, and a new pink sony walkman phone. What do these things say about me? When I use these things in public, they are effectually identity markers, although people don't know what I have stored on them.
Even if Wolcott is being a little extreme, I think he does have a point - digital media does hide traditional markers of identity. It was great to read a point of view from the 'other side'.
I found Wolcott's article interesting because it deals with the same issues that are apparent online, in terms of the ways in which one's tastes are markers of their individuality. For example, when we write on a SNS profile / blog / dating site that we like a certain book, the people reading it will form certain opinions of us. Wolcott notes that this is the same in 'real life', as for example if someone reads Harry Potter (either in public, or if the book is noticed in their home by friends), a certain impression will be made of that person. Further, the impression will be different if the person is a 12 year old boy or a 42 year old woman. It was interesting to see the parallels between Wolcott's argument and the discussions that we have been having in class. However, while we have been focusing the ways in which identity is constructed using digital media online, Wolcott took the opposite approach and sees the advent of digital media use as actually hiding identity markers in 'real life'. What is seen as an opening door for some is seen as a closing door for others.
I suppose the question is whether for the individual, the door is opening or closing. Does it depend on whether you are technologically literate? Is there space for people who have no desire to participate in online culture, or have no desire to purchase digital media? Wolcott lists the things that were once cultural markers, but are now being swallowed up by digital media: books being read, book collections, the traditional 'coffee table book', music, music collections, the video store, album covers, magazines. He argues that the very basis of interior design is at stake, because people simply do not own rare art / music collections / whatever to be the centrepiece of their living area anymore. If all of people's cultural tastes are being categorised and filed on digital media, will we find new things with which to identify ourselves? I think the answer is yes, and no. I think that we will find new things, but that the more traditional cultural tropes will not completely disappear. Maybe Wolcott is being a little excitable in his argument - people will still buy real books, even though we can read them online for a price. I know I still would rather buy a real book than download the online version, or buy the disc of it and read it on my laptop. Also, he fails to mention that digital media in itself can be an identity marker. I have a macbook, an ipod nano, and a new pink sony walkman phone. What do these things say about me? When I use these things in public, they are effectually identity markers, although people don't know what I have stored on them.
Even if Wolcott is being a little extreme, I think he does have a point - digital media does hide traditional markers of identity. It was great to read a point of view from the 'other side'.