Help! The Cultural Industries are Controlling Cultural Memory
Help! The cultural industries have put a stranglehold on our cultural memory. By offering pre-programmed “memory objects”, these industries are eroding our personal memory and displacing our lived experience. At least, that’s how scholar Mark Hansen sees it. Drawing from the work of Bernard Steigler, Hansen argues that the seduction and ubiquity of the cultural industries is what allows for the erosion of personal consciousness.
Not to (completely) worry! Hansen claims that digital media allow our personal consciousness to reassert some control over the production of “new presencings.” Digital media also allow us to regain control over the “flux of the media artifact” according to our own personal rhythms.
Despite the appeal of his argument, Hansen missteps in two ways. First, Hansen overemphasises the role that the cultural industries have in structuring our personal consciousness. Consider the example of TV. While I may watch TV some of the time, surely my whole life is not consumed by it! Even when we watch TV, how, what, why, when, and where we watch TV is (presumably) shaped by experiences that are not solely imposed on us by the cultural industries. Second, Hansen is too optimistic about the role of digital media. While digital media may provide us with some newfound control over our own personal rhythms, it also reasserts control over us in other ways. For instance, do you ever feel the compulsion to constantly check your smart phone? If so, you’re not alone.
Thanks for reading. Now please excuse me while I check my cell.
- Will
Questions:
- To what extent do the cultural industries structure our personal consciousness and cultural memory?
- To what extent do digital media allow us to resist the imposition of the cultural industries on our personal consciousness and cultural memory?
- In what ways do digital media (re)assert control over our personal consciousness and cultural memory?
A few questions for Will (and everyone) ... I was thinking about the cultural industries and the material production of digital devices vs. the creation of content. Are companies that produce physical devices (e.g. Samsung, Apple, Sony)considered a part of the cultural industries, or does that term apply to content producers only? And are apps/software considered content, or a medium?
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jo-Dee's question, I think companies that produce physical devices are indeed part of the cultural industries. I think that Apple does produce content, but aside from that, I think in the marketing of their products they sell a way of life more than anything. People buy Apple products because they are associated with a certain lifestyle (high socioeconomic status, style, etc.) that people want to portray. As far as your second question, I think apps can be considered content and a medium. Let's take the example of a finance organizing app. The app produces content which you can interact with in order to keep track of your budget. However, it is also a medium through which you can control your spending habits. In discussion we always seem to shy away from subjecting our answers to a binary, and I think the same is true for this question. Great thought-provoking questions to Will's post! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sami. I was also thinking about Facebook and Twitter... would you consider them mediums within a medium (the internet)within the medium of a computer (or phone)? Or are they mainly content generators/advertising platforms for corporations while also being a medium for individuals so that they can generate audiences?
ReplyDeleteI hate how you can't edit these comments. Apparently I'm not good at hitting the space bar often enough!
ReplyDeleteI hate how you can't edit these comments. Apparently I'm not good at hitting the space bar often enough!https://uetpcb.com/
ReplyDelete