What do you think are the consequences of digital reproduction on cultural expression today?
Digital reproduction has increased the rate at which art and ideas are spread by magnitudes. This sudden explosion of information means our culture changes dramatically quicker than before. A movement like #BLM has drawn crowds and media faster than any other similar movement before the digital age. Millions of people have been able to share similar ideas than ever before as a result.
How does the culture of remix confirm or refute Benjamin’s ideas?
Benjamin’s ideas around the diminished value of an artwork as a result of the culture of remix can be refuted by following example.
In music samples and remixes songs will almost always credit the original artist or song in the new title. By doing this they give credit and share the original song with their audience, who is then given exposure to the ideas and values of the first artist’s song should they choose to seek out what the remix was based on.
Spotify’s top remix list displaying original song titles and who the remix is by.
According to Benjamin, how does mechanical reproduction change culture?
During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic many spin pieces and harmful memes emerged from anti-vaxxers spreading the idea that coronavirus was a hoax, COVID-19 vaccines were dangerous, and people should not get them. These memes were copied and pasted across the nation and the once small group of anti-vaxxers suddenly swelled as people began to be swept up by their propaganda about the pandemic and vaccine efforts. Digital reproduction has certainly made a positive impact on our cultural expression in many ways; however as evidenced above, because the rapid spread of such controversial ideologies through mechanical reproduction on social media, digital reproduction also has its detriments. Because nearly everybody has the capacity to copy someone’s words and misconstrue them into a negative piece or meme mechanical reproduction has definitely played a part in creating “alternative facts” in changing our culture.
Can a digital work have anything like an “aura?
I believe that digital work can have an aura. While the aura of a digital artifacts may not have the same longevity as a physical one, like Mona Lisa, certainly digital works carry meaning and persuade and inspire their audiences. An excellent example of this would be video game characters. Game design is art, and the characters within it influence hundreds of thousands of people through reproductions, cosplays, fan art, and more. Like an aura, characters go through time and build more lore, giving them more meaning and depth to their fans.
The original artwork for Pikachu, an electric mouse from the game Pokemon. Pikachu, the mascot of this game, has spawned a long running anime, and turned Pokemon into the highest grossing media franchise in existence.