Life in the Slow Lane
The cover story in Wired magazine this month is "Snack Attack: Movies, TV, songs, games. Pop culture now comes packaged like cookies or chips, in bite-size bits for high-speed munching. It's instant entertainment - and boy, is it tasty." It explains how entertainment — whether music, videos, or writing — is being marketed in extreme short versions so that we can consume lots of it, fast.
In 2003, when I was discovering video, I was so edgy with my new digital skills — most popular kid on the block with my 2-minute videos. Now I take a glance at YouTube and I'm swamped with 2-minute cleverness, 1-minute brilliance, 30-second genius. I feel left in the dust.
My journal entries here should be pithy 10-point lists designed for rapid reading — but no, I go on and on... and on.
The Wired article also gives you advice for things to do when you have 15 seconds to spare, 30 seconds to spare... 5 minutes to spare, etc. I do remember busy days when every second had to count. And — come to think of it — I do keep reading material all over the house. Ha, ha — sometimes I walk out of a good session in the bathroom without a clue what I was doing beforehand.
So what am I bitching about?
(a) That "other people" have been reduced to needing a new stimulant every 15 seconds?
(b) That I am just like "other people" (even if I do read articles in "The New Yorker" and not just the cartoons)?
(c) Or that I didn't latch on to the opportunity to become a popular content producer of these short tidbits?
It's (c) that I brood over whenever I see an article on the rising popularity of short films. Oh well, since when was I ever marching with the mainstream band?
3.2.07