Cultures, Markets, Identities - and Us: |
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It's a paradox. Culture is more significant than ever before. It is omnipresent. The global content markets grow seemlessly. People spend more time on 'culture' - reading, watching, listening, attending performances, checking out cultures in the world wide web -, while no new media cancels out an old one. And yet, it is commonplace to complain about a loss of 'culture'. A couple decades ago, "culture for all" was the buzzword. Well, it is a reality today. Or almost. But no-one applauds. Global media conglomerates have a hard time at the stock markets - while analysts proclaim that "content is king ". Creativity cannot be replaced by technology, quite the oppositite is the case. But those who earn a living from creating, in their vast majority, have a hard time making ends meet at the end of each month. Communities and networks bloom, yet individuals feel the loss of bonds and confront a fragmented society around. |
Culturally, we live in strange worlds. The audience of cultural events and offerings has turned into a capricious crowd, switching impatiently between ever more offers, better informed than ever, yet reluctant to be faithful to any comittment, shying away to the next best attraction. So, what is the horizon for all that culture around? What's the purpose? What is culture, if it is not a consens? the grand old man of cultural studies, Clifford Geertz, has asked. On these pages, we follow that crucial question, and do our best to fill it with meaning - with data, analyses and understanding (and with a specific attention to those new technologies that pop up by the dozen every day. |