Where have all the ideas gone?
In a typically thought-provoking aside, Tyler Cowen asks if, in the age of social media, ideas no longer need to spread through popular entertainment (like novels, films and hit songs). If so, has that left pop culture emptier and less interesting?
“Today you can debate ideas directly on social media, without the intermediation of music. Ideas become less simple and more baroque, while music loses its cultural centrality and becomes more boring.“
Music and, in particular, narrative have a long history of real world influence, from the novel that helped create the modern state of Israel to the role of optimistic sci-fi to inspire the scientists behind the Apollo programme. There are still plenty of people on both sides of the political debate committed to countercultural entertainment to advance their worldviews. So are they wrong, or is Tyler missing something? Perhaps the impact of common knowledge?