ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

IDEAS

AI Seems To Be Homogenizing Our Thinking

Of course, a writer can in theory always refuse an A.I.-generated suggestion. But the tools seem to exert a hypnotic effect, causing the constant flow of suggestions to override the writer’s own voice. - The New Yorker

Maureen Dowd: In The Forest Of The Uncanny Valley

Human connections have been eroding for some time. We’re all dwelling in Uncanny Valley now, staring into our personal screens, not sure what’s real or fake, to the detriment of talking, dating, reading, living. - The New York Times

Doing Almost Anything – Even Chores – Is Better With Friends

“The activities we more often do with others seem to be associated with the most benefits, such as eating or drinking. … But the benefits also applied to the activities that participants most frequently did alone, such as reading.” Arts groups: Time for two for one ticket sales? - Washington Post (MSN)

Can We Make Tech Better Again?

First, we must describe it accurately. What happens to cool new tech over time is, writer Cory Doctorow says, “enshittification.” - The New York Times

Idea: Artistic Directors Should Create, Not Control, Space

“For theatre to remain ambitious, kinetic, and meaningful, we can’t let institutional constraints like funding models or planning cycles become barriers to fresh perspectives, and I can’t allow my personal preferences to overrule or narrow the choices of the many artistic directors who produce in our venue.” - American Theatre

The Creative Fertility Of Empty Space

Like the negative space against which words become visible (voids emphasised in Cage’s original typography), nothing generates speech and the speaker, poetry and the ‘I’ who needs it. - Aeon

A Short History Of Amateur Internet Culture

For most, participation in the online attention economy feels like a tax, or maybe a trickle of revenue, rather than free fun or a ticket to fame. The few remaining professionals in the arts and letters have felt pressured to supplement their full-time jobs with social media self-promotion, subscription newsletters, podcasts, and short-form video.  - BookForum

Cancel Culture Is Ascendant. But What Is It?

Some say canceling is an act of redress, a powerful display of solidarity. Others blame it on a mob. Still others have considered it an overblown moral panic or even a hoax. - Washington Post

Living With People Whose Ideas You Don’t Like

We are indeed going to have to live with each other, barring apocalyptic violence—but we already have been for quite some time, and doing so has not required revisionist history of the sort we are now witnessing about one Charles James Kirk in particular.  - Boston Review

Father Of The Internet: We Created The Internet And Gave It Away For Free. What Happened?

Today, I look at my invention and I am forced to ask: is the web still free today? No, not all of it. Trading personal data for use certainly does not fit with my vision for a free web. - The Guardian

Menand: What, Now, Is This Free Speech Of Which You Speak?

If the Administration’s actions are so blatantly unlawful, why does everyone seem to be caving? Some of it is just cost-benefit analysis. - The New Yorker

How Our Screens Are Changing How We Interact With The World

If the reading revolution represented the greatest transfer of knowledge to ordinary men and women in history, the screen revolution represents the greatest theft of knowledge from ordinary people in history. - Cultural Capital

It’s Time For Cultural Snobbery To Make A Comeback

“What if cultural snobbery, so effectively cast off over the past decade, wasn’t a waste of time? What if it did actually uphold certain standards? What if – faced with a future dominated by social media advertainment and AI-generated content – it’s our only hope?” - The Guardian (UK)

The Documentary Culture: The Impulse To Record Everything

Richer and deeper memories appear to enhance your individuality: a thin and shallow autobiographical narrative appears to lead to a less substantial self, whereas a rich, detailed and deep autobiographical narrative appears to lead to a more substantial self. - Aeon

Research: AI Answers Change Depending On Culture

“Our findings suggest that the cultural tendencies embedded within AI models shape and filter the responses that AI provides. As generative AI becomes part of everyday decision-making, recognizing these cultural tendencies will be critical for both individuals and organizations worldwide.” - MIT

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