The intellectuals and the masses
Andrew Keen has written a book called The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet Is Killing Our Culture. I can't comment on it in any detail, because I haven't read it. Nor am I likely to, because I find that the most outspoken cultural analysis is often deeply conservative in nature. This book appears to be no different, in that the author apparently laments the loss of professionalism in favour of an emerging culture of 'the amateur'. This sounds ominously familiar. It sounds like the voice of a cultural elite fearing the erosion of their influence due to the democratisation of the arts. I, for one, am happy that we have a culture of amateurs. I am happy that dissident voices can broadcast from war-torn or oppressed countries, that - with very little training - minority or disenfranchised communities can begin to tell it like it is in their own voice. I'm happy that the power of the Daily Mail is being diminished by the progressive and liberal voice of the digital community. That teenagers in their suburban garage can make truly revolutionary ideas real. Get over it, Mr. Keen - wake up and smell the daisies.