Each year brings changes. Some years more than others.
These movements or changes become a culture of their own. During the 60s, it was about rebellion, seeing a surge of rebels with and without a cause. Anti-war protests, liberation, and music – culture felt politically charged and idealistic, where young people openly challenged authority.
The 70s, past the Watergate era, had seen a growing distrust in government and a rise of personal identity, including moving toward introspection and realism. The movies became grittier and darker with a more focused approach toward psychology.
Each decade had its own intricacies.
Now, during the 2020s, a new culture has appeared, a culture of digital saturation. A saturation across every imaginable field, such as music, media, art, public discussion, and more.
For the better or worse, some would argue one way, and some would argue the other.
Whether the truth lies one way or somewhere in between is a different topic altogether; what, unarguably, is positive is the aspect of transparency. It comes with certain disadvantages, there is no doubt about that, but it also comes with accountability. No longer can anyone just say something and pretend they didn’t say it.
No longer can anyone do something and pretend they didn’t do it. Everything is here to be seen and here to stay. It’s a trail of breadcrumbs; sometimes they don’t illuminate the entire picture, but at least we know there were breadcrumbs.
Like pieces of a puzzle, they allude to something.
The Audience And The Need For More
The audience is big. It’s almost everyone.
In all sectors, we can see this: sectors like journalism, marketing, activities of certain non-profit organizations, and local and state government.
With a few clicks, we can see into the intricacies of all the world’s locations and places, many of which have developed a sort of microculture.
Cities that have long confined themselves to internal reports or private meetings between individuals of authority, and now those same reports and private meetings unfold in a public manner, where, driven by investigations and reports, we can see the full extent of their information. Even sensitive reports aren’t beyond the scope of this reach. Sensitive reports like the not-too-recent clergy abuse in Chicago. All of it is part of a broad news network.
These reports are important due to the fact that they give us insight into what is happening while simultaneously shaping a broader cultural understanding of how certain powerful institutions operate. A lot of these incidents are sometimes treated as isolated events. But with the new approach and with transparency, we can ascertain a more structural view. We can examine them not as one, but as a collective.
We are also able to ascertain how these allegations are handled.
How does the system operate concerning its own elements? Does it encourage certain patterns, or does it silence or reform them?
There are many inquiries about the hierarchy, and they are all connected.
This new movement, alongside the transparency it brings, is a means to expose the issues of today and a means to judge the ways it deals with them beyond the looking glass.
Various artists put these into a different perspective. Musicians through music. Filmmakers through movies. Writers through books. All these categories show a different form of critique and a closer inspection of what is happening and what has happened.
Transparency could be argued to be a new sort of design. It leads toward a new way of approaching. And consumers are drawn to this.
The numbers are the proof.
The Full Picture And The Pieces That Make It
Whether a person is going to a music concert, reading an article from a magazine, or conversing with someone from a public institution, or anything else, they ask the same questions.
Who benefits from that? Who organized it? And who does it represent? Sometimes the answers are simple.
A musician organized a concert for the sake of their fans and to make money, but sometimes there is more to the story than meets the eye. It is a way of looking at something through a more clinical and critical lens.
It is a way to observe the small intricacies within a system and perhaps to reveal a truth hiding in the dark.
These little pieces are important for us to get a full picture. And on the other hand, it also signals engagement, which is also beneficial for those who produce such content. Many media platforms benefit from this, as well. It’s a matter of care. When people care about certain matters, they tend to participate in said matters.
This approach serves as a bridge between the various arts and the culture that consumes them. It is a more hands-on approach than a simple read and forget, as media used to be in the past.
Conclusion
It could be argued that digital saturation and transparency are a new form of storytelling, one that is currently the most dominant.
Whether that’ll stay or not, only time will tell. One thing is sure: disclosure builds trust, and trust is the most important thing between any media and their consumer. If they don’t trust it, they won’t consume it.
Why would they?
It boils down to supply and demand, and a little bit of truth along the way, which is not a bad thing.
