X-FACTOR (blog 10)

Blog 10

: Discuss the relationship between popular culture and art. Why is it important to provide children with a range of media from traditional/historic media to contemporary/popular art media?

It is important that children be exposed to many types of media, because in our highly technological world, they are going to encounter many types of communication techniques and many different kinds of information. They are going to need the skills to decipher, interpret, and understand what they are receiving from the informational universe that our society has created. In modern culture, technology has permeated all aspects of communication. The levels of diversity and complexity of these new modes of communication have never before been reached. Artists have always been the great communicators of society, and today that is no different, art has become digital. The great masterpieces of the past are now available to be viewed on the internet. Some modern artwork is completely designed and coordinated on a computer before it is brought to life, if it is brought to life. Many pieces will never leave the cyber world. And so in order to accept this new artistic language that is developing, we will have to teach our children in the sensibilities of computers. Popular culture has been engulfed by technology in all other aspects so the art world is not unique in that. Television programs are available for viewing online, on demand, with fewer commercials. Radio stations broadcast globally on the internet. Text messaging has replaced note-passing in classrooms world-wide, while e-mail, instant messaging, video calls, downloadable books, movies, songs, speeches and online gaming have revolutionized communication.

On the other hand, children will not only need to be well-versed in the many new ways of communicating and interpreting art using modern technology, but should also have the opportunity to investigate older forms of art and communication. Old technology may be viewed as obsolete, but every mode has its own particular niche, with its own identity and connotation applied to it. That is why it is important for youth to experiment with all available media and art forms, to develop an advanced expressive language utilized in any of the innumerable modes of communication.