Question

Your response to the following prompt must be at least 150-200 words long. Imagine that you are in charge of directing cultural trends for the next 10 years. What would you change about the current culture in terms of literature? For example, how would you change the style, accessibility, and the ease with which you comprehend texts? What sorts of qualities would you like to see in literature or other forms of art? Consider how you would guide the creation of these cultural changes, including what role current events and the government would play and how the market would promote your vision. Also, think about other people’s agendas for cultural change and how yours differs.

Answer 1

It isn’t enough to say that culture has to change in accordance with the advances of technology. The fact is that it inevitably changes, and it is up to us to admit this change and accept it, instead of resisting it. Denying this historical fact would be counterproductive. So, literature will have to find a way to be more accessible, without losing its artistic integrity and meaning. People are less and less inclined toward reading long, unintelligible texts, and immersing into multiple layers of meaning. Also, members of the new Generation Z (the post-millennials) are used to short, interesting, multimedia forms, where they can actively engage, instead of passive interpretation, which was a scholarly concern of former eras. Another concern that has to be taken into account is the market concern. The Internet sorts out content according to its popularity. So, if I write a poetry collection, people could find it on the Internet only if I invest substantial amounts of money into its promotion, or if it gets popular enough to gain the so-called “organic” reach. Therefore, we have to change our attitude toward arts and culture in general. We have to get used to accepting popularity as one of the main criteria when it comes to culture. We need to find literature that is readable and acceptable, rather than elitist and scholarly. We need to broaden the meaning of literature, and include media other than the written word in it. Literature can be read, seen and listened to at the same time. It can also be interacted with.