Tues 15th -Latest Blog
Hi guys, just updating my blog again, seems to de a daily thing at the moment, so much coverage on this sort of thing at the moment. I am current getting some medical assistance in hospital so sifting through papers is my saving grace!
Today’s find is a really thought provoking article again from my gem of a local Newcastle paper ‘The Observer’, in the New Review section, page 8 (the main cover story). Article composed by ‘Neal Gabler’, a renown move critic of many years.
He is posing the question of whether authority has migrated from trained critics to ‘ordinary folk’ as he calls them. He seems to be implying to me that thanks to Web 2.0 Technologies, ‘The Death of Cultural Elitism - is the age of the critic over’?
He quotes that because blogging is now ultimately so easy, convenient and accessible to all than ever before, we (us non trained critics) are, or may be in his opinion, too quick to splash our views and reactions all over these sites for everyone to see with an expectance of provoking reactions and primarily ‘bloggers may dilute the authority of critics in the traditional media’.
Seems to say that the ever prosperous social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook actually go as far as posing a threat to the livelihoods, and no doubt personal patience and acceptance to listen to others views of educated and acclaimed critics of today. Personally, I can definitely sense a bitter tone on the article, he continues to debate that just anyone can join such sites, ‘culturally experienced or not’.
To throw in my personal opinions, I still firmly believe that everyone is truly entitles to their own opinions, who is to say critically what is right and wrong. However, of course a sense of diplomacy is important as as always. In connection with this however, one can appreciate, the opinion of a 5 year old boy on latest films may be somewhat more sheltered than a more supposedly ‘wordly wise’ adult of middle age for example.
With spending a lot of my last year dancing professionally based in Miami, I could not help but smirk at his aticle ‘last line clincher’, apparently ‘…..nothing could be more American’, make of that what you will I suppose. Interestingly though, or possibly ironically, anyone can join the debate about debating online, ‘….online at guardian.co.uk/culture’! Note I have highlighted the link just in case anyone felt so inclined!
2 comments:
This is an interesting blog. the article seems to betray a lack of confidence in the critic about what he has to offer as a trained experienced eye. We as consumers of opinion can determine the quality of that opinion. But there is a new trust that needs to be developed between Critic and audience. Information is no longer held by the few it is much more accessible. It is the validity of that information - its worth - that now become currency. In other words it is not what is known but how it is understood.
In the Art of Listening, Les Back talks about when he heard the phrase "we have all become experts in our own life". Back criticises this comment but when you see people constantly talking about the minutia of their every day life they so elevate it to appear to have more meaning. What do you think?
Adesola
This is a really interesting post Sophie - it covers the same topic as one of my blog posts so I thought you might be interested to read it and the comments that were left. I found them very thought provoking:
http://stephaniethomas-blog.blogspot.com/2011/01/web-20-toolssome-initial-thoughts.html#comments
My opinions on the subject of 'public reviews' are still mixed, although I have now come to the conclusion that they simply aren't going to go away, so we must all learn to get used to them (including the reviewer from The Guardian you mentioned in your article). I think as Adesola said, a new relationship will have to be formed between critics and audiences - with so many people commenting and reviewing art these days, the public will decide on which sites/who's advice they value and take seriously.
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