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Breaking Away from Streaming Services
Aug. 15th, 2023 10:59 pmAs time progresses I feel that a lot of the issues with streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, and other similar sites alike are becoming more apparent; writers and actors not getting paid, original shows being taken down so nobody can watch them legally, etc. The real question is, why are we spending money on things we don't have? You may have access to a media library that these businesses have rights to, but you don't own them. As time goes on you end up spending $100, $500, 1,000+ dollars, but you will never actually own it. This is all for the sake of continuous profit for the corporation, and convenience for the customer, of course. In the long term, though, it's both not worth whatever price you pay, and I believe it also devalues the art in a new way.
To get more into that point, how does streaming devalue art? Of course, this is my personal opinion on the subject, and there are several ways to care about a piece of art or media rather than how I articulate it. In short, I hold the belief that convenience has removed the amount of time a piece of media rests in your mind. An example of this is how Netflix will release full seasons at a time for a show, there's always a sense that you will need to rush through things to catch up to everyone else, who are likely already at the end of the season. Discussions and theories surrounding plot points that unravel an episode at a time are a thing of the past! The closest thing you'll get is an exciting last episode of the season before you wait another year for the next, that is if your show is lucky enough to last another season. The same goes for music as well, in a different way. If you listen to a song too many times you're going to get sick of it, I know this is true for everyone. You will not have the time between listening to music now where you can be away from a song for long to be able to miss hearing it. You can always open your app and start playing whatever you want to.
This isn't a post trying to take the higher ground, I'm exceptionally guilty of enjoying my favorite things quickly. I know this has to do with our desire for quick dopamine and consumption, we are always looking for convenience in our daily lives, which doesn't have to be a bad thing! Regardless, I think the current environment online has done away with moderation, which in turn has allowed for more time and more consumption. While this works for some people, I find that taking it slowly has been much more fulfilling for me mentally. It has expanded my capacity to love what I care about, learn about the process, the creation, and the people behind something. However, I also can't overlook how much this has been pushed on us by marketing, and how the effects of advertising have influenced us as well. It really does seem like an incredible deal, especially if you're unaware of other ways to get your hands on said media.
In my next blog post I'll go over collecting, mixing the physical and digital in a library, collection software and how to easily source your favorite media.
To get more into that point, how does streaming devalue art? Of course, this is my personal opinion on the subject, and there are several ways to care about a piece of art or media rather than how I articulate it. In short, I hold the belief that convenience has removed the amount of time a piece of media rests in your mind. An example of this is how Netflix will release full seasons at a time for a show, there's always a sense that you will need to rush through things to catch up to everyone else, who are likely already at the end of the season. Discussions and theories surrounding plot points that unravel an episode at a time are a thing of the past! The closest thing you'll get is an exciting last episode of the season before you wait another year for the next, that is if your show is lucky enough to last another season. The same goes for music as well, in a different way. If you listen to a song too many times you're going to get sick of it, I know this is true for everyone. You will not have the time between listening to music now where you can be away from a song for long to be able to miss hearing it. You can always open your app and start playing whatever you want to.
This isn't a post trying to take the higher ground, I'm exceptionally guilty of enjoying my favorite things quickly. I know this has to do with our desire for quick dopamine and consumption, we are always looking for convenience in our daily lives, which doesn't have to be a bad thing! Regardless, I think the current environment online has done away with moderation, which in turn has allowed for more time and more consumption. While this works for some people, I find that taking it slowly has been much more fulfilling for me mentally. It has expanded my capacity to love what I care about, learn about the process, the creation, and the people behind something. However, I also can't overlook how much this has been pushed on us by marketing, and how the effects of advertising have influenced us as well. It really does seem like an incredible deal, especially if you're unaware of other ways to get your hands on said media.
In my next blog post I'll go over collecting, mixing the physical and digital in a library, collection software and how to easily source your favorite media.
