Effects of Technology on the Arts Economy - Article Example

Effects of Technology on the Arts Economy Name Course Supervisor Date Effects of Technology on the Arts Economy The term “new technology” can be used to denote a wide range of technologies in the world today ranging from robotics to nanotechnology, but this paper will only concentrate on those technologies that have had great impact on the world of arts in recent years. In essence, the paper will focus and concentrate on digital technologies as the latter have had the greatest impact on both the public and the arts in general. “1Digital technologies have allowed the creation and storage of information and processes in digital form thus making it easy for the distribution of the latter over electronic networks”. It is almost impossible to describe digital networks effectively while excluding digital networks. In this regard, the article will, therefore, shed more light on the influence of digital networks on the arts and arts economy. Every form of art that have evolved and survived into the digital age has a corresponding technology that supports it. For example, visual arts are currently being supported by molds, video editing software, digital cameras, and digital viewing devices such as computers and televisions. Also, new technologies such as digital sound recorders and players, photographs, and sound editing software are modern technologies that mainly support performing arts. Characteristics of Digital Technologies Electronic For something to appear as an electronic artwork, then it must not be a physical object such as painting, book, photograph, etc. but instead the latter material is in electronic form rather than in physical form. Also, artworks may be created through live recording of events, remixing and manipulation of electronic information or through the combination of these processes. In this regard, distinguishing between the fabrication and what is recorded is difficult. For example, it is difficult to distinguish between the film and video materials created through computer-generated graphics and cinematography. Moreover, a digital copy of an artwork should be indistinguishable from its original and should also be close in quality to the original digital artwork. “In terms of storage there are some restrictions to the extent of artwork to be stored regardless of the fact that digitally stored artwork occupies less space than physically stored arts. Artwork can be accessed for long periods of time if proper storage and playback facilities are maintained. As a result, the unnecessary costs associated with maintaining the digital databases are reduced with a significant outcome on the selling patterns for artworks.”2 Networked Networks have evolved to be the basic space for creating and sharing work and where artwork can just be seen. “The major characteristic of networks is the fact that electronic materials can freely move through the latter over recognized networks such as the Internet and mobile networks. Soon as the artwork is uploaded into the network, it becomes instantaneously available wherever the network reaches”3. In fact, once the artwork is on the network, it can be converted and made available at all times and in different formats. Networks allow different art contents to interact with other types of digital content for instance GPS locations and photos. Interconnected “Information stored on the network can be accessed at different points unlike the two-way movement between the audiences and the broadcasters on radio and television networks. In essence, if an artwork allows for modifications then artists from all over the globe can use the network platforms to collaborate simultaneously in different locations and times. Through the online communities created on the major networks such as the Internet, the public can interact with the artwork through direct response or the social networks. They may, therefore, criticize, comment on it, recommend to others or even share the artwork with others in the communities. Interconnection of networks also enables artists to track and get accurate information on what is being received, seen and ignored on the network.”4 Social Media and Their Importance on Arts “The social media platforms rely solely on the mobile and web- based technologies for the transformation of communication into interactive conversations.” The latter not only provide a way in which the users get to exchange and organize their content with others within the network but also enable the user to create their original contents. In essence, social media allows users to form groups and communities that enable them to add and comment on the uploaded art contents. Consequently, social media makes interactions on a global scale a reality. The most familiar and popular social media tools are social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, blogs, sharing sites such as Flickr and YouTube, wikis, podcasts, and apps such as Whatsapp, which are available for mobile devices. Social media technologies mentioned above affect the arts in three perspectives; brings audiences to performances in theaters and artworks, provides discussion platforms on arts of interest, and also provides the art organizations and practitioners with effective tools for building arts awareness and tools for listening to the general public. Also, by directly placing artwork online, many artists are aiming at online distribution and digital production. “The simplicity of uploading artwork online has resulted in overabundance i.e. artists have been given a free platform to showcase their skills and share ideas with the world in general”.5 Online content still continues to expand on a daily basis. Many arts organizations and practitioners may find it difficult to reach directly the public in the ocean of online content. Social media tools exist to help the latter to reach their specific audiences in these situations. But the assumption that online audiences appear as a collection of niche markets rather than mass markets apply. In this case, the artist should know that online audiences are neither smaller nor larger but are fragmented and more diffuse. The social media is therefore regarded as a powerful tool as it allows the artists to reach the targeted audiences who are interested in the latter’s products. This can explain why social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook encourage only those with similar interests to link up and follow each other. Arts Creation in Communities of Interest It was the contributions of engaged and collective arts communities that were among the first people to use, create, and develop social media technologies. Since the Free Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) and social media platforms are easily accessible, economical, and user-friendly, they have been primarily selected and used by many artists and smaller arts organizations. “By embracing FLOSS, art communities can share values about accessibility are also able to work from a common point that recognizes and facilitates artistic creativity. These communities not only place more emphasis on the sharing of skills through online technologies but also encourage personal and one on one sharing with the audiences. This is done through workshops, jam sessions, and show and tell demonstrations of arts. Recurrent events such as DorkBots and Upgrades promote networking and sharing of knowledge among the artists and technology specialists. “6 Effect of Technology Change on Media Arts Film and video are examples of art forms that have taken shape because of twentieth-century technologies. In this case, media arts have already absorbed shocks associated with technology in the market. The evolution of digital technologies of this era has had one of the greatest impacts in the history of film and video. From video sharing networks such as YouTube to the most celebrated films in Hollywood, changes in technologies has primarily affected their growth. In this regard, changes in technologies have affected the creation, production, distribution, exhibition, and marketing of media arts. “Media arts are one of the most explored in the market today. The art has led to the emergence of many organizations and artistic professions dealing with either film production or video shooting and editing. The digital cameras evolution has made it possible to create film and videos by shooting instead of using scenario writing and pre-planning of traditional cinema. The modern technologies allow artists to collaborate sometimes internationally by other participants through working together to create pieces. Also, media art creation has been advanced and popularized by several delivery platforms in the market today such as television, web, mobile, theatrical, etc.”7 On the other hand, changes in technology have also affected the production of media arts. In this regard, it is possible to produce media arts with the help of high-tech digital equipment without having to rent editing space or expensive gears. Also, the emergence of High Definition (HD) screens has made the display of media arts professional and high quality. Through the use of social media platforms, the funding of the production has been made possible with a crowdsourced model that reaches a lot of small contributors. Also, social media technologies can also be used to raise money for media arts such as documentaries by reaching the audiences that share an interest in the subject of the latter. Furthermore, the technology not only affects the creation and the production of the media arts but also plays a crucial role in the distribution of the latter art to the public. Traditionally, most film and video artists relied on human distributors that acted as gatekeepers to showcase their artistic work. But changes in technology have eliminated all these unnecessary investors. “Once the artwork has been digitally produced, many artists and art organizations are currently uploading their work on the internet where millions of people download, comment, and share the same with other colleagues. Although artist’s fees on online exhibition apply, artists can now market and exhibit their work on the internet through platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.”8 Effect of Technology changes on visual arts “Digital technologies has also affected visual arts in many ways in the creation, production, and reaching to the public. Many forms of visual arts have recently emerged, for instance, public performances arts and flashed mobs events. The latter uses mobile networks to cue and direct their performances. Flash mobs events comprise of a group of performers that for a short time perform in a public place and then disperse with satirical or entertainment aims. Also, visual artists use modern software that assists them in the design, architecture, installation, and fine creating their visual arts. The computer-based designs such as 3D models allow the visual artists to build timely sculptural work directly with the computer.”9 Also, the use of the web to market, promote, and sell visual arts is drastically increasing. “Mobile phones applications have widely been used to direct visitors and residents to the museums with the information on the operations, opening and closing hours and special tours. Also, new sites such as Google Art Project are offering are offering elaborate images of visual arts in renowned international museums. These sites also offer in-depth reviews, videos of curators, and critical texts and information about the artwork. Museums have also been able to build digital galleries on online platforms that are accessible globally.”10 Public Engagement with Arts Online The main objective of the above topic is to understand the consumption patterns of the digital artworks by the members of the public i.e. how the public consumes the digital arts. In essence, this is accomplished through the engagement and understanding of the general public with arts in the digital era. Also, the article also explores how the digital audiences interact and engage with culture and arts online. Many people who visit online regularly are aware of different forms of art available such as music, literature, film, and videos. In fact, the people dealing with arts are likely to explore the internet and social media platforms in search of the art. For them, these platforms have the capacity to deepen their knowledge and experiences of the art. Many people value online content as either a research resource or an educational tool although different people may have different reasons for online exploration. The enormous amount of online content make the browsing experience overwhelming but once the people know what they are searching then, the whole process became easy. Also, the online usage of arts depends on the people interests and enthusiasm for artistic works. Although many people engage in different actives online, downloading content and listening to the music is the major activity carried out by many online visitors. The Economics of Arts “It is with no doubt that the art industry is a very profitable and promising sector for the artists or art organizations that place a price tag on their products or artistic services. In this regard, the art industry is crucial in the economic development. In fact, arts programs, especially in media and visual arts discussed in the article, have contributed greatly to the economic welfare of many countries for instance Hollywood films and movies in the USA. In essence, art organizations and practitioners that take advantage of the new artistic technologies must, therefore, handle their work in an economically viable manner. Indeed, the new technology has made the art sector competitive with new organizations arising on a daily basis to explore the sector. In this regard, the work of art has gained economic value that not only affects the latter organizations and creators but have commendable impacts on the national economy of the country. “11 “Artists and art organizations that deal with media and visual arts are motivated by the need to maximize the profits as a reward for their work. In other words, different art organizations and practitioners attach varying economic weights on their products. For instance, art organization specializing in media arts may have a stronger connection with the economic value of their products than the one dealing with visual arts. This is because visual arts mainly consist of public performances with the objective to entertain their audiences. But all in all, either media or visual arts attract different economic weights depending on the motive, nature, and the value of the art. “12 Arts, Technology, and Economic Development The media and visual arts can be said to have intrinsic value. In essence, livable communicates are those with thriving cultural and artistic life i.e. arts help to build a strong, healthy, and prosperous community. The evolution of digital technology has perfectly provided the arts organizations and artists with new ways to market and sell their product online. In this case, the technology has unlocked many key artistic forms such as films, videos, movies, etc. That attracts a huge amount of revenue to the latter organizations on an annual basis. Also, the change in technology on performing, media and visual arts have led to the emergence of the public spaces such as Cinema halls and movie theaters that are often fitted with social amenities. “These are the modern points especially in the cities that the art organization uses to showcase their artworks such as new films, videos, movies, performances, etc. to the public. These places have a direct effect on the economic development of the country at large as they result in the improvement of the urban quality of life of the involved people. Apart from social development, the tax revenues collected from these businesses plays a major role in the development of the region, city, and the community at large.”13 Emerging Issues and trends in technology changes on arts The reliance of digital technologies by the arts organizations and the artists causes the copyright, privacy, sustainability, and security issues to arise. In essence, the copyright laws govern the way artistic materials are recorded, produced, created, made available, and stored. “In this regard, many digital content aggregators such as Kindle, Google, iTunes, etc. are doing Digital Asset Distribution when making digital files available to the general public.”14 Many countries such as Canada has enacted copyright legislations such as Technological Protection Measures that cover the workings of both hardware and software by restricting coding and what can be recorded on the hardware. “The major objective of these copyright laws is to enable the art creators control and receive compensation when their work is distributed on social media and the internet. The major target of the laws is to prevent and curb online theft of artistic material from either the social networks or from the internet. Copyright laws allow the public to download the legitimate film, music, videos, and other artwork from the internet as long as the latter don’t infringe on the protected material.”15 On the other hand, as a result of using digital technologies, environmental impacts have been evident and felt all over the world. “The latter issues range from enormous energy costs as the digital equipment does consume a lot of energy to the disposal and recycling costs as they are short lived. The total dependence on digital networks such as the Internet where security is not assured makes the online artistic materials vulnerable to losses and security breaches. Many artists have also expressed their concern about the concentration of power by major digital based organizations and worry that they may in future became the new gatekeepers. For example, on iTunes Apple restricts the types of material allowed on the latter. Conclusion The article shows that the evolution of digital technology has not led to the emergence of new forms of art but continues to play a critical role in the survival of almost all forms of art. Also, the contributions of social media platforms, web-based technologies, and mobile networks have played a commendable role in the exhibition and marketing of arts to the general public. Unlike traditional era, the article shows that modern artists and art organizations have effectively integrated the digital technologies in the creation and production of art with commendable economic gains. The review of the article shows that any artist or art organization wanting to excel in the market must consider using new technologies that are economically profitable and reaches a lot of people. References Bakhshi, Hasan, and George Windsor. "THE CREATIVE ECONOMY AND THE FUTURE OF EMPLOYMENT." (2015). Brooks, Anthony Lewis, Elif Ayiter, and Onur Yazicigil, eds. Arts and Technology: Fourth International Conference, ArtsIT 2014, Istanbul, Turkey, November 10-12, 2014, Revised Selected Papers. Vol. 145. Springer, 2015. Comunian, Roberta, Alessandra Faggian, and Sarah Jewell. "Digital technology and creative arts career patterns in the UK creative economy." Journal of Education and Work ahead-of-print (2015): 1-23. Doyle, Christie. "Media and Visual Arts, Filipino American." Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia (2015): 295. Dunbar-Hall, Peter, Jennifer Rowley, Wendy Brooks, Hugh Cotton, and Athena Lill. "E-Portfolios in Music and Other Performing Arts Education: History through a Critique of Literature." Journal of Historical Research in Music Education 36, no. 2 (2015): 139. Comunian, Roberta, Alessandra Faggian, and Sarah Jewell. "Digital technology and creative arts career patterns in the UK creative economy." Journal of Education and Work ahead-of-print (2015): 1-23. Forbes, Angus Graeme. "Articulating media arts activities in art-science contexts." In ACM SIGGRAPH Art Papers, pp. 330-337. ACM, 2015. Herrera, Allison Kay. "Information Science & Visual Arts Integration." (2015). Hunt, Katherine. "Internet Culture, Nature, and Fanart: A Year of Exploration in Technique and Inspiration." (2015). Moore, Marilyn, and Dana L. Grisham. "The Effect of Digital Technologies on the Culture of Literacy." California Reader 48, no. 2 (2015). Prior, Jennifer, and Pamela Powell. "Creative Connections: Technology and the Arts." In Media Rich Instruction, pp. 137-151. Springer International Publishing, 2015. Roberts, Elisabeth, and Leanne Townsend. "The Contribution of the Creative Economy to the Resilience of Rural Communities: Exploring Cultural and Digital Capital." Sociologia Ruralis (2015). Robinson, Andrew. "Media Arts Walking Research Group Interactive poster." (2015). Williams, Lunetta, Kelly Scott, and Danielle Simone. "# SocialNetworks." The Reading Teacher (2015). Zhou, Jing. "Connecting the Dots: Art, Culture, Science, and Technology." Handbook of Research on Maximizing Cognitive Learning through Knowledge Visualization (2015): 345. Read More

As a result, the unnecessary costs associated with maintaining the digital databases are reduced with a significant outcome on the selling patterns for artworks.”2 Networked Networks have evolved to be the basic space for creating and sharing work and where artwork can just be seen. “The major characteristic of networks is the fact that electronic materials can freely move through the latter over recognized networks such as the Internet and mobile networks. Soon as the artwork is uploaded into the network, it becomes instantaneously available wherever the network reaches”3.

In fact, once the artwork is on the network, it can be converted and made available at all times and in different formats. Networks allow different art contents to interact with other types of digital content for instance GPS locations and photos. Interconnected “Information stored on the network can be accessed at different points unlike the two-way movement between the audiences and the broadcasters on radio and television networks. In essence, if an artwork allows for modifications then artists from all over the globe can use the network platforms to collaborate simultaneously in different locations and times.

Through the online communities created on the major networks such as the Internet, the public can interact with the artwork through direct response or the social networks. They may, therefore, criticize, comment on it, recommend to others or even share the artwork with others in the communities. Interconnection of networks also enables artists to track and get accurate information on what is being received, seen and ignored on the network.”4 Social Media and Their Importance on Arts “The social media platforms rely solely on the mobile and web- based technologies for the transformation of communication into interactive conversations.

” The latter not only provide a way in which the users get to exchange and organize their content with others within the network but also enable the user to create their original contents. In essence, social media allows users to form groups and communities that enable them to add and comment on the uploaded art contents. Consequently, social media makes interactions on a global scale a reality. The most familiar and popular social media tools are social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, blogs, sharing sites such as Flickr and YouTube, wikis, podcasts, and apps such as Whatsapp, which are available for mobile devices.

Social media technologies mentioned above affect the arts in three perspectives; brings audiences to performances in theaters and artworks, provides discussion platforms on arts of interest, and also provides the art organizations and practitioners with effective tools for building arts awareness and tools for listening to the general public. Also, by directly placing artwork online, many artists are aiming at online distribution and digital production. “The simplicity of uploading artwork online has resulted in overabundance i.e. artists have been given a free platform to showcase their skills and share ideas with the world in general”.

5 Online content still continues to expand on a daily basis. Many arts organizations and practitioners may find it difficult to reach directly the public in the ocean of online content. Social media tools exist to help the latter to reach their specific audiences in these situations. But the assumption that online audiences appear as a collection of niche markets rather than mass markets apply. In this case, the artist should know that online audiences are neither smaller nor larger but are fragmented and more diffuse.

The social media is therefore regarded as a powerful tool as it allows the artists to reach the targeted audiences who are interested in the latter’s products. This can explain why social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook encourage only those with similar interests to link up and follow each other. Arts Creation in Communities of Interest It was the contributions of engaged and collective arts communities that were among the first people to use, create, and develop social media technologies.

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