Day: June 17, 2010

Have never used the term "digital culture" with a straight face.
Paddy Johnson refers to "web culture" in discussing an upcoming Guggenheim show that will largely bypass it in favor of a call for entries for newly made YouTubes (like we needed more).
A regular sarcastic AFC commenter asks:

Can you guys give me some examples of this great YouTube material I’m missing? I mean, I like the really cute lemur as much as the next guy, and those people lip-synching the Lady Gaga song are certainly doing important cultural work, but clearly there’s a whole avant-garde that has passed me by.

Nothing like an open mind!
It's possible to speak of a "culture" of something without claiming it has matured or evolved to the point of having a canon or even two people who agree on what's good.
Through Johnson's blog am continuing to rub shoulders with folks who equate "trying to get two people to agree on a good thing made with digital tools and transmitted/shared on the web" with starry-eyed Nicholas Negroponte-isms about our webby future.
It's easy to sit back and snipe, especially when you lack the aptitude or fortitude to make these critical judgments yourself. Just please don't ask to have it explained for you when you are asking in bad faith.