Orwellian Fantasy and the Digital Age

Reading through Enzenberger’s “Constituents of Theory of Media” I was intrigued by the way he approached the Orwellian Fantasy as something more necessary than nightmarish.  While I see his point I am nonetheless disturbed by the casual manner in which Enzenberger seems to throw traditional media forms under the bus.

He states that “the possibility of total control of such a system at a central point belongs not to the future but to the past”.  The fear of technology seems archaic but, as we have discussed in class, it is just as prevalent today as it was fifty years ago.  The difference is that we are more inclined to keep our thoughts to ourselves and the Orwellian fears have gone more underground.

It is a simple fact that we live in a society that exists in a perpetual cycle of technological dependence.  We are never satisfied with what we have and we strive to greater heights, a condition that keeps us slave to industry rather than imagination.  Where Enzenberger is concerned, this type of reliance is not only natural but preferable.

As far as his assertion that total government control would be nearly impossible with the current economic climate I simply point to the conflict in Belarus.  Citizens of that nation enjoyed a great cultural environment for hundreds of years until a new governmental regime locked down on freedom of expression and technology. 

I don’t believe that Big Brother is going to take over just yet, maybe it will just be the Apple corporation.

Working on our iTunes

Just when you thought some of the classic rock stars could hold out against the iTunes craze, Bob Seger jumps on the bandwagon to prove you wrong.  At least that’s how I felt when I read this article today from the Chicago Sun-Times http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/music/7621017-421/holdout-bob-seger-decides-to-go-digital.html.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPod as much as they next person but the vast majority of my classic rock collection was ripped from CD’s.  I, for one, already had my Seger collection settled into my iTunes before he made his announcement.  To me there is something great about rockers standing up against the digital music craze. I guess when The Beatles discography finally hit iTunes it shot that idea down.

The reason I was so taken aback by Seger’s decision to finally go digital was because he was one of the loudest protesters against the media change.  Also, Seger has made no qualms about the fact that he despises big business and supports small town economies.  For him to suddenly turn around and bend his knee to one of the world’s biggest monopolies comes as nothing less than a shock. 

Seger also stood among the classic rock greats to maintain the belief that audiences should listen to their music as it was originally meant to be heard, not digitally altered. There is something great about the sound distortions and occasional LP pops and crack sounds that happen on when you listen to classic rock albums.  For me it’s all part of the experience.

I guess Seger finally gave into the peer pressure.  His own words seem the best way to describe my feelings, “And you always seem outnumbered, you don’t dare make a stand.”

There you have it folks, I just hope that AC/DC will stand strong against the Apple music domination.