Is There a Crisis of Seriousness?
Ted Gioia's article examines the decline of seriousness in culture due to consumerism and entertainment values, highlighting a backlash against superficiality and a growing desire for authenticity and meaningful engagement.
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Ted Gioia's article discusses the decline of seriousness in contemporary culture, tracing its roots back to Susan Sontag's 1996 critique of consumerism's impact on society. Sontag argued that the entertainment industry's values have overshadowed genuine engagement, leading to a culture where everything is commodified and easily digestible. This shift has resulted in a proliferation of digital content that prioritizes spectacle over substance, with technology increasingly dictating creative expression. Gioia draws parallels between the current digital landscape and the chaotic media environment of the French Revolution, suggesting that today's society is similarly inundated with misinformation and superficiality. He highlights a growing discontent with this "cotton candy culture," where authenticity is scarce, and individuals often present curated, fake versions of themselves online. Despite this, Gioia notes a rising movement of serious individuals who are rejecting this trend and seeking meaningful engagement. He believes that as dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs grows, a return to seriousness is inevitable, with these individuals poised to lead a cultural shift away from superficiality. The article concludes with a hopeful outlook for the future, suggesting that the hunger for authentic human connection will ultimately prevail over the pervasive fakeness of modern society.
- The decline of seriousness in culture is linked to consumerism and entertainment values.
- Digital technology has contributed to a culture of superficiality and deception.
- There is a growing backlash against fake content and a desire for authenticity.
- Serious individuals are emerging as potential leaders in a cultural shift towards meaningful engagement.
- A return to seriousness in society is anticipated as dissatisfaction with current trends increases.
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3 comments What I didn’t understand (I was surely not the right person to understand this) is that seriousness itself was in the early stages of losing credibility in the culture at large, and that some of the more transgressive art I was enjoying would reinforce frivolous, merely consumerist transgressions. Thirty years later, the undermining of standards of seriousness is almost complete, with the ascendancy of a culture whose most intelligible, persuasive values are drawn from the entertainment industries. Now the very idea of the serious (and the honorable) seems quaint, “unrealistic,” to most people; and when allowed, as an arbitrary decision of temperament, probably unhealthy, too.
When I hear "something much much stronger" I reach for my Dada: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dada
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