Youngblood Article

Within the arena of media lie two main methods of creativity and creation: one being art, the other, entertainment. When creativity within creation inspires learning, viewer participation and evokes a newfound palette of thoughtfulness, it is considered “art”. When a creation relies on the structure of those past, already acceptable and predictable to viewers, it falls into the category of “entertainment”. Entropy, a measure of the lack of information in a system of communication, is an indication of imitation, and imitation is the bone structure of entertainment. According to this author, our current society depends too wholly on entertainment, which depletes our capacity to learn new things from what could instead be art.
Today, multiple forms of social networking have evolved based on this concept of entertainment. Though sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube provide portals through which individuals can express their unique creativity, critiques, and art, the very basis of these sites was formed because the media saw a connection between the public and publicity. Social networking has become a trusted genre of its own; rules have been made within it, certain things can be expected from it, and it can be marketed and recreated in ways which are familiar. Though social networking sites provide opportunities for artistic expression (just as film, literature, and paintings do), society limits them with rating stars and “like” buttons. I suppose viewers feel a sense of involvement by being able to supply feedback, as the author states, which creates order within these communication systems. However, the feedback we create influences the level of artistry that goes into the creation of status updates and video posts. It could be said that though these sites may create realms in which individual, thoughtful art can be made, users have both created and conformed to a system of entertainment ratings that influence what is posted. Art can pop up within any medium that exists today, but it’s the unfamiliar message behind the work that makes us think, and thus, makes it “art”.