What about digital technology makes it a unique tool or medium in human history?
Digital technology has allowed millions more people than ever before to have access in creating art and content. In classical society, owning or commissioning art was often just for the wealthy elites. Creating art required a very specific skill set, one that many artists spent their whole lives mastering. As time progressed, art slowly disseminated into something that everyone could enjoy, but still many lacked the skill or resources required to paint, sculpt, etc. With digital tools, nearly anyone can look up tutorials and then find a medium (photoshop, tiktok, premiere pro) to execute their ideas.
This effect is further compounded by the rate we view content created by digital technology. Before the internet, museums were often the only way to view art. They were the destination. But now, the art or content is oftentimes the destination itself. We have don’t look up Louvre to find pictures of the Mona Lisa. Just the same, when we open instagram or TikTok people are not looking for anything specific, rather people just want to see content.
(nybgallery.com)
Like we discussed in class on the 22nd, there are times where we can spend hours and hours viewing hundreds of different videos and pictures. The amount of content that is created everyday is astounding. If you were to go to an independent art gallery in person and view the art the same way you would look at pictures on instagram it would probably take you less than 10 minutes to finish their whole collection. That speaks volumes to the differences between physical art and how digital technology has shaped how quickly we create using different mediums and how they are shared amongst people.