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The Golden Age

David Sherry
2 min read

Can Tweeting be art?

And is art curation now happening on Instagram?

My question is more about our frame of reference for history.

As in, every so often there's a cycle of history in which we go through a period of great artistic development: A Golden Age. And the "golden" ages always refer to a time of art development and liberalism, or freeing some portion of our human nature from its shackles.

So are we living through the new Renaissance or the Apocalypse? Are we in a revolt to bring freedom and decentralization to the world, or are we closing in on ourselves?

Only time will tell. But in just the last two decades, we've developed the internet, the smartphone, and video streaming. And space development is on it's way...

Think on that for a minute.

Whether we're in a golden age or not, let's look at the realities. Tech is accelerating exponentially, and it's leaving us reeling. The greatest thinkers of our time are using Twitter to spread their message (Elon Musk). Hip-hop is the dominant genre of music. Business is global. Aside from biotech and other bleeding-edge technologies, creativity is the un-machinable skillset and asset.

And, as Paul Graham speaks about, coding is the new art.

"Hacking and painting have a lot in common. In fact, of all the different types of people I've known, hackers and painters are among the most alike. What hackers and painters have in common is that they're both makers. Along with composers, architects, and writers, what hackers and painters are trying to do is make good things."

We're simply using the tools of our time. And despite the efforts to go backward, this is impossible. For once, ideas are unleashed into the world where they can't be put back into the bottle. Which is why cryptocurrency is the future, despite what people say. Ideas can only be delayed by those that try for power and control. But the inevitability of those ideas is out of their control. And the tide turns...

Anyways, now I'm not saying that an Instagram star or Youtube Vlogger will go down in history, but just because the tools are different doesn't mean we can't recognize our advancement. The homage to this age is no longer the busts and paintings we see in Rome, but the fashion shows in Milan, the Yeezus Tour, and the iPhone.

So, would Da Vinci, if born today, be spending his time drawing plans for constructing a new building, or a new voice-enabled ear-phone wearable?

The answer is both.

xx David

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