New Media Culture

In the modern age it is obvious that in the western world it is impossible to be anonymous, in that every aspect of our lives is documented and recorded in order to 'keep track' of us. Early inventions such as photography began this trend as it preserved a persons image long after they had died. The culture of surveillance continued into the 20th Century, with the surveillance camera becoming the new tool for 'watching' the nation.

We have now found ourselves living in a world dominated by surveillance. People are now monitered and photographed and tagged and observed, all in the name of national security and crime prevention in the wake of such events as 9/11 and 7/7. It is this new culture which has brought about a feeling of fear among the public as the pressure to conform and 'behave' helps the government keep tabs on every man woman and child.

It is clear that as technology moves on traditional media forms are forced to move along at equal pace in order to retain interest in them. This is becoming ever more true of music as some producers attempt to turn the experience into a more multi-dimensional one through the use of images. This 'expansion' of the traditional music industry is something which has been recognised as the way it is heading for many years. In Glenn Gould's Prospects of Recording (1966) he offers his thoughts on the future of music as technology allows it to adapt;

"I predicted that the public concert as we know it today would no
longer exist a century hence, that its functions would have been
entirely taken over by electronic media.

Recordings deal with concepts through which the past is re-evaluated,
and they concern notions about the future which will ultimately
question even the validity of evaluation."

This new innovation which Gould spoke of was the VJ. It is the invention of this new player within the world of live music which has injected this media with an influx of electronic media. This new medium has proved itself so useful and reliable that it commonplace for most night clubs, and an large touring band to employ a plethora of electronic innovations to enhance the music itself, ranging from highly skilled lighting technicians to interactive video screens. VJ's have simply allowed the world of music, be it live or recorded, to involve more than just one of the bodies senses.

As traditional forms of photography have evolved in line with contemporary technological developments, so the output of the artists within this medium has become less and less traditional in the way it presents an image and an aesthetic. With developments in the effects achievable, and most recently the advent of digital technology it could be argued that although once being an art form which relied solely on the "truth" it has now lost its biggest asset. Its authenticity. Where once a photograph conveyed a real life event, it can now be edited and tampered with in the pursuit of "fine art".

The biggest change to be brought about by new technology and its connection with digital aesthetics is that photographers have become less interested in reporting and representing the truth. The truest of art forms has lost its greatest asset, all in an attempt to modenise an art form, from both a producers, and a consumers point of view.