The entertainment industry is one of many that have rapidly evolved since the start of the new millennia. With the power of the internet in the early 2000’s we developed social media platforms such as Myspace, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter which is now X and more recently TikTok. The iPhone, alongside the internet and soon to come short form content have quite literally changed the world.
So where do these rapid changes and shifts in attention leave us today? Most would be shy to admit the’ve probably spent more time scrolling through five subscription streaming services than actually watching the movies or content itself. The plethora of so many options is almost overwhelming at times. This combined with the dopamine release of social media magnetism also leads one to wonder, who is responsible for the enforcing of regulations in an ethical manner for the better of mankind? Is it the government? Big Tech companies? Or do we as the consumer have more power than we realize? In my opinion, people should not only be referred to as consumers in business because it does dehumanize the understanding of the masses.
Not everyone on this earth is here to steer the moral compasses of society, however I do believe that we coined the term “influencer” for a reason. As these technologies progress, we adopt them into our lives and minds almost without a choice. This is unethical and dangerous in many ways. Lawsuits have been filed against companies like Facebook/Meta for not having their customers/users of their products’ best interest at heart and only considering their shareholders accounts. In this day and age, we have to acknowledge that evolution begins with the mind, not the machine. We are all constantly in a cognitive war with ourselves whether we realize it or not. This is not to fear monger people, but more of a perspective that could inspire the next waves of influence as we actively take control of our own future as an evolutionary species. Coining other terms such as “brain rot” or “AI Slop” is a step in the right direction.
Visual creators and musicians also have been put in the hot-seat as AI continues to advance in the art-space. Some of these outcomes are so mind-blowing that people almost cannot fathom the Quantum leap that has been taking place this last decade. Although we are impressed and fascinated by these advancements, behind closed doors, the dystopian future is almost always an elephant in the room.
Not everyone is so accepting of over-progressive tech but overall it's needless to say that we live in an excitingly questionable time right now. Every day people now have access to cinematic excellence that not too long ago would have cost a professional production companies months in labor and production. Now is that to say that everyone is going to do immaculate things with tech advancements? No, The future is not to be feared but it is to be embraced and prepared for. The world is to be interacted with. Not mindlessly, but consciously. Look up.
