Individualism

Individualism restricts media

Recent trend of uniqueness has consequences for arts

Fletcher Haltom haltofle000@hsestudents.org

In a world that has become so closely connected, it is often a relatively simple task to find a group of people who share common interests. Generally, this has resulted in a heightened sense of camaraderie - if one is able to find a like-minded group to discuss their interests with, it is generally viewed as beneficial. For some, though, an overemphasis on individualism presents a perpetual barrier to this enjoyment. Roughly defined as the tendency to prioritize the individual and their actions, individualism in this instance is inherently focused on a desire for uniqueness. As per a Johns Hopkins University report on the topic, modern philosophy, political thought and economic theory “all point toward and revolve around the individual.” In this way, it can be understood why individualism has become so rampant within American society; virtually every aspect of the culture points towards the prioritization of self rather than the group. However, this heightened emphasis on individualism presents numerous issues, as many consumers of media have become too focused on simply being different. Specifically within the context of media, individualism has become increasingly prominent as of late. Contemporary media itself actively promotes individualism, with a 2013 Social and Behavioral Sciences Journal research paper asserting that the values of individualism “dominate the content of the messages transmitted through mass media.” Furthermore, audience consumption, too, has become an almost competitive experience. Enjoying media has recently been transformed into a mere contest of whose music, movies or art of choice is more distinctive. By only listening to Spotify artists with under 1,000 monthly listeners, exclusively watching 1940s Hungarian silent films and participating in the general gatekeeping of specific art and forms of media, consumers are actively working to the detriment of the media itself - as well as its audience. The very nature of art is to be shared; by fueling already rampant individualism and keeping great art a secret in the interest of being more special than everyone else, consumers are harming not only other consumers but the artists, too. For example, as reported by Spotify, there are about 6.8 million artists with fewer than 1,000 monthly listeners on the platform. In a business that is already so difficult to succeed in, keeping these small artists down by not sharing their work is sacrificing their success for the mere label of being “indie.” In a similar way, artists, directors and other producers of media have sacrificed quality in pursuit of novelty - many recent films and songs rely on simply being different instead of focusing on the actual caliber of production. The origin of this school of individualistic thought is likely rooted in the idea that only poor quality, commercially-produced work garners popularity and mainstream success - after all, who is the general public to determine the quality of a product? The fatal flaw of this reasoning, though, is that art is oftentimes popular because it is of high quality. A lack of success is not always indicative of a substandard product, but the presence of success is more often than not a sign of legitimate merit. In order to remedy this trend of artistic over-individualism, consumers must refocus their perspectives. Rather than prioritizing their own uniqueness, they should work to support the artists and share the work with as large a community as possible - after all, art is meant to be shared, and it does no good to compete over individuality rather than embrace collaboration.

Graphic by Fletcher Haltom.