Everyone that has been to a concert saw people lifting up their smartphones or digital cameras to mark the moment, distracting the people around them. In fact, they are so into capturing the show with their cameras, they don’t even enjoy being there and seeing it live. I came across an article in the WSJ titled “Is video killing the concert vibe?” that got me thinking about this issue. The article was a story about Natalie Merchant’s recent concert where she got so annoyed by her live audience watching her from their screens that she stopped the concert and said “This is live. This is where the show is.”
The recorded media is changing the patterns of ownership in the entertainment business; for instance, the movie business has been fighting against piracy and copyright infringement ever since recorded media devices became available to the public. But it is not just that. Digital media is manipulating the limitations of time and space. Things that are becoming more cyber rather than digital are not just objects but people themselves too. While being physically there at the concert, people are not really there to enjoy the moment. We don’t appreciate live or real anymore, as much as we do the digital. So we end up with our videos saved in our laptops, without having any memorable, lived experiences.
I suppose that your correct in your assumption that we are becoming addicted to the digital but as far as supporting those people that do take out their phones or cameras for a recording, what if they just want to capture the moment. I mean sure they can take a picture but that's only so much, if they just take a short video clip to capture the live concert why not just do that rather than a picture. For instance when we get into our late 60s and 70s and we just want to relive all those experiences that we had as kids wouldn't it be better to reminisce with a video clip of the concert that you saw live rather than a just a picture?
ReplyDeleteI understand where Abeer is coming from but I do agree with Eda about us becoming too addicted to our digital gadgets. I was at a concert a few weeks ago and I was recording a few songs. I realized that I was more distracted in making sure I zoomed in well, that the volume was okay and that I wouldn't shake too much to have the video come out clear. This lead me not to experience the concert in its completeness. I look back at the videos I took but when I think about it, I don't feel I was there because I saw the concert through a pair of lenses instead of moving the camera away from my face and enjoying the concert and the atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Miguel, I experienced a similar thing. While I was looking at the pictures I took in the last spring break, I noticed that I did not remember most of the memories there. I saw many places in the pictures where I did not even remember that I went to because I was busy with trying to take pictures. We try to record everything to remember them in the future but it's just postponing the pleasure I guess.
ReplyDeleteThe issue raised in your first paragraph (and the image you attached) is a significant one: it proves mcLuhan's point that media not only are extensions of our body but also are amputations--cellphone cameras make us distrust our own organic eyes and see/experience events with ONLY a digital camera. How sarcastic!
ReplyDeleteGreat selection of artifact. Your point about people being digitized couldn't be more true.
Nice job!