We have developed a habit of devouring media content with a voracious appetite, but is that the same as feeding our artistic need? Our kids race through instagram and ticktock posts with barely enough time to digest the content.  We all hardly ever listen to the whole of a song now...the end gets skipped to make way for the next one!  Netflix has our appetite for series watching so finely tuned that we are pressing the skip to next episode button at the end of many episodes and whole series can be demolished in a single weekend.  For those who remember, waiting a whole week for the next episode of a TV (definitely a dying acronym) series was thrilling, frustrating, exhilarating, and created a sense of anticipation.  Waiting resulted in removing our ability to self indulge and allowed us to incorporate real life into the space in between episodes.  All of this has gone away to be replaced by a race through each day.  Have you ever played games on the phone while trying to watch your favorite drama?...Sometimes we even have parallel things on the go....just to make sure we don’t miss anything.  But are we missing out and what has this got to do with our appetite for art? If you ever visit an art museum, it is an experience miles away from the swiping one in front of our nose!  There are benches for visitors to relax, study, focus, appreciate.  No-one is there to rush you through the experience, unless there is a queue behind you!
Just food for thought! Â
Don't get me wrong, I’m not advocating the removal or even reduction of our consumption of digital media....just that we don’t confuse the activity it with the slower more considered appreciation of art!  Both should remain a part of today’s exciting world!