I miss scarcity
This is not a complaint. Or, if it is a complaint, it's half-aimed at me. Mostly this is a reflection.
In the old days, I got to know music really well -- in great detail, sonically, musically, reading all the credits, the liner notes, etc. A friend would have an album I didn't, so I'd go to his house to listen. We'd talk about the music. We'd talk about how album sides hung together or didn't. We were thrilled by double albums.
Now, a torrent of information is everywhere. I listen alone, often to a single song, often not listening to anything over and over again.
You will tell me, "That's your choice." I'd half agree. It's like agreeing that "It's my choice not to live off the electrical grid."
As I read and teach about AI, I am learning that our tools often prioritize speed and information glut. It seems, initially, like a cornucopia but it becomes a wash of "content." I must admit, I'm losing my talent for managing all this content, and I'm losing my love for it. And it's making me into a different person, somewhat, and I am not so sure I want to be that person. End of reflection.
@hilde45 you ain’t alone brother. I just said this to someone the other day; Everything has lost its luster because everything is so right at our fingertips. We’ve lost the appreciation for things because we can get it whenever we want. Yes it has its advantages and yes I like having things right there always available but the magic of waiting for a movie that used to air once a year is gone. Now I have the DVD… Great post.. |
Give or take a few years, I think most of us here of the same generation. Ours was the Generation of Anticipation. Waiting for that new album, going to the store to buy it, getting together with friends to spin it and socialize, talk about the cover art, critique the songs, or listening to the radio for hours waiting for that one certain song to play. Waiting for your favorite only once a year Christmas specials to come on; A Charlie Brown Christmas, the Grinch, Rudolph, etc. Where Linus taught us the true meaning of Christmas, how the Grinch saw the light and filled his heart with love, not really sure the lesson in Rudolph. Everyone humiliated, alienated and ostracized the little mutant until they needed to exploit his powers for their own selfish benefit. Anyway, if for some reason you missed them, that was it until next year. Now is the Generation of Instant Gratification. Everything repeatedly at your fingertips with a few taps. No waiting, no face to face socializing. Even if you are face to face, how many have seen this; You're out to eat, there's a table by you with 4 people and all of them have their noses buried in their phones. No talking, no physical interaction, just thumbs tapping away. They are literally texting each other! There's such a technology disconnect with them it can not be healthy. I weep for this generation. Plus now I need an aspirin...
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I’ve been listening to music for around 60 years. I have many favorite albums that I’ve been listening to for the bulk of that time. I for one am glad at the plethora of choices that streaming allows. No way would I want to return to the time when my LPs had been destroyed, there were no budget CDs, I had limited resources and the FM Radio was it for several years. Every fall feels like a birthday celebration now |
As with the many other innovations we have seen in our lifetimes, the AI train is leaving the station and you can choose whether to get on, or not. If the issue is overload, then find something that fills your need for downtime - we all need that. BTW, good one, @ghdprentice
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There are still artists whose new releases I am just as thrilled by, and I anticipate as much as any other new releases by favorite artists over the past decades. The problem for me is finding out about upcoming new releases. There used to be a newsletter called ICE (no relation) that was a dependable source, but that's been gone for decades. |
