culture
Oi! You in the stalls! Put that phone away and surrender to the art
As Rosamund Pike found out recently on stage, many people now experience the arts simply as content to be documented for likes and shares
TL;DR
- Actors like Rosamund Pike and Cynthia Erivo have publicly criticized audience members for using phones during performances.
- The rise of streaming services and digital platforms has led to viewing habits that favor simplified content and partial consumption.
- The digital landscape, with its infinite scroll and short clips, trains users for interruptible engagement, impacting our ability to focus on art.
- This decline in sustained attention affects not only theatre and cinema but also literature (skipping descriptive passages) and museums (taking selfies over viewing art).
- Measures like banning smartphones at festivals and using Yondr pouches are being implemented to combat distraction.
- There are hopeful signs of a cultural backlash, with some young people reducing social media use and seeking experiences that resist interruption.
- The article posits that the ability to surrender to a story and art is essential for human experience and transformation.