The Ethos of
Cultural Production
Moral
exploration of Media Users’ behavior
Habermas
(2001) explains that “sets of cultural artifacts may be conceptualized as
material codes, as systems of basic cultural categories, or as media of
tradition and of the evolution of technology.” Based on this assertion, any
human production can be labeled as a cultural artifact, and extendin this
affirmation, they can also be considered cultural products. From a mere ethical
conception of artifacts and products, do laws recognize this anthropological
“proclamation?” And what about memes? Are they digital artifacts then? Finally
are media users we now labeled trolls ethically sensitive to people
whose points of view divert from theirs? Let’s explore some possible answers to
these question intending to be aligned with one’s ethos.
A goblet found
in a remote cave in Anatolia, Turkey is not only a anthropological artifact but
a cultural production of a people who inhabited this area of Asia Minor. What
about a video game, such as Assassin’s Creed developed by Ubisoft Montreal? Is
it also a cultural artifact as well and a cultural production? Based on
Habermas (2001), it is because it falls within “the evolution of technology.”
Cultural products, based on Aiello and Cacia (2014), are “good and services
that include the arts (performing arts, visual arts, architecture), heritage
conservation (museums, galleries, libraries), the cultural industries (written
media, broadcasting, film, recording), and festivals. UNESCO has declared that
these products are not like other forms of merchandise.” Video games are cultural
products and cultural artifacts linked to visual arts and film; this type of
product is not like other types of merchandise we by at the supermarket at the
corner.
But are governments and companies agreeing on these terms
regarding cultural production and artifacts? Prof. Kerr (2012) pointed out the
disparity in the degree of agreement between lawmakers and video games
developers and publishers. For some of them “games constituted a cultural
product”
Moving away from vido games, memes as cultural artifacts, which
represent who we are at this point in history, present no problems with governments;
they just abound on the Web or Internet-mediated communication. While many
extol the presence of and fun behind memes, they forget the ethics behind the
production of these visuals. While one walks around our cities, the presence of
graffiti is everywhere. Some of them, like the memes today, are rather neutral
and inoffensive; some other times they can be cruel and very unethical. As
cultural artifacts (not as cultural production) memes and graffiti reveal lots
about the current state of affairs in our countries and regions. “Nothing
defines our use of the Internet as clearly as the concept of meme …”
How often do we get memes among our WhatsApp messages? The
fact is, as Rintel (2014) puts out, “a meme may be created by an individual or
an institution deliberately (many marketing companies now strive to create
viral conent) or, as often as not, an accidental image, turn-of-phrase or
concept will be exploited by a savvy netizen.” But how often do we find these
“savvy netizens” exploiting them to harm others rather than simply make people
laugh? For sure all of us have something to say about the presence or absence
of ethos in the creation of these images that include intertextuality
(reference to other memes or concepts known by a given audience),
templatability (use of a recognizable structure with spaces for newer content)
, and indexicality (usage in commenting on many a situation)
Finally, are media users labeled as trolls ethically
sensitive to people whose points of view divert from theirs? “Trouble at the
Koolaid Point” (2014) is by far a cruel account as how trolls can make the life
of a woman misarable just because she had her own ideas that may conflict with
other people’s point of views. Extending the meaning of cultural artifacts, a
troll is a by-product of our social media culture and behaviors. “Trolling is
defined as creating discord on the Internet by starting quarrels or upsetting
people by posting inflammatory or off-topic messages in an online community”
Since the birth of social media and communities, many ethical
questions continue to linger. In the exultation of the advent of the social
media era that began in the 21st Century, people danced and sang out
of happiness for the interconnectedness it brought -in their eyes- to their
lives. However, people forgot how others would see the consumption of social
media content in various forms in the participatory world culture brought by
the Internet. On one hand, how certain individuals “manipulate” the meaning of
terms to profit from them is one ethical issue that needs to be dispelled (in
the video game industry). On the other hand, memes need to contextualized as
digital cultural artifacts that are close knit with the social media users’
produsage that also has to be governed by a true ethos that can help meme
creators to act morally right respecting others. Memes can also come as a good
example of slandering others in a trolling fashion. Finally, trolls are a
byproduct of our social media society, and these inviduals will plunge you the
deepest woe that people can imagine just because. These indomitable beings do
not seem to be shied at the sight of their own cruelty and disrespect for
others. They are like serpents who are coiled around communities waiting to
seduce others and convert them into their henchmen.
References
Aiello, L., & Cacia, C. (2014). The Cultural Product: Integration
and Relational Approach. Pennsylvania: Idea Group.
Habermas, T. (2001). International Encyclopedia of the
Social & Behavioral Sciences. Amsterdam: Elsevier Ltd.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-08-043076-7/00394-6
Hanson, J. (2018, April 10). Trolls and Their Impact on
Social Media. Retrieved August 26, 2020, from UNIVERSITY OF
NEBRASKA–LINCOLN:
https://unlcms.unl.edu/engineering/james-hanson/trolls-and-their-impact-social-media#:~:text=Trolling%20is%20defined%20as%20creating,rise%20out%20of%20other%20users.
Kerr, A. (2012, February 10). The politics of cultural
production. Retrieved August 16, 2020, from Culture Digitally:
http://culturedigitally.org/2012/02/the-politics-of-cultural-production/
Rintel, S. (2014, January 13). Explainer: what are
memes? Retrieved August 26, 2020, from The Conversation:
https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-are-memes-20789
Trouble at the Koolaid Point. (2014, October 7). Retrieved August 23, 2020, from
Serious Pony: http://seriouspony.com/trouble-at-the-koolaid-point/
The Ethos of Cultural Production by Jonathan Acuña on Scribd
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