DEVS Blog On Internet Culture

Andrew Keen wrote his book The Cult of the Amateur in response to the growing user-generated media that we can find on the web today. I didn’t read the entire book because the Introduction was enough for me.  Keen’s idea of the internet is a place where the “mob rules”, and equates this “amateur” mob of humans that generate information on the web as “monkeys” on a type writer.  I thank Mr Keen because I am one of those amateurs, and I guess I’ll accept his “monkey” title.  Here is a Monkey’s response.

Mr Keen claims that there is abundance of “political commentary, to unseemly home videos, to embarrassingly amateurish music, to unreadable poems, reviews, essays, and novels (Keen 2007),” on the internet. Furthermore, Keen claims that this information might confuse the masses somehow.  Poor Mr Keen, it seems like he has read a lot of monkey generated information!  Too bad Mr Keen doesn’t know how to browse the internet like the rest of us “monkeys”.  Mr Keen is doomed to read and pay attention to every source of information he comes across!  Most of today’s mob knows the difference between good and bad information, and what is purely entertainment.  If Keen thinks that people will be fooled and captivated by “false/faulty/useless” information on the Internet, well, there is a lot of “false/faulty/useless” information in print, TV, or the radio also.  We can find those magazines in most local grocery stores that lie about celebrity break ups and claim that their source was abducted by aliens; or turn on MTV to watch Jersey Shore (no offense, I know it’s fun to watch sometimes) and be captivated by the raw drama; or turn on the radio and hear some radio host or hostess rant and rave about their political opinion without facts to back them up.

So what’s the issue with the internet?

The problem lies with the viewer, not the internet. The above issue Mr Keen finds with internet existed prior to the internet. People are going to believe what they want to believe.  Maybe Mr Keen’s focus should be to attempt to implement some form of awareness about the internet and/or what sources to trust and not to trust.  I’m sure we’ll be able to understand this warning, since somehow us monkeys have evolved into being able to read, write, and use technology.

Mr Keen also claims that the internet is “flattening… culture… [and] blurring the lines between traditional audience and author, creator and consumer, expert and amateur (Keen 2007).”  This argument sounds amusing, but what is Mr Keen really trying to say here?  That there is some type of line between the professional and amateur.  Okay. Doesn’t that sill exist within the internet? Even in my “monkey” state I know that there are paid bloggers, internet reporters, and staff.  The internet didn’t mean the downfall of the “Best Sellers”, or our favorite music artist, actors, reporters, and political commentators.  People still read those sources on the internet that Mr Keen holds in such high esteem such as “CNN and BBC”(I wonder how Mr Keen even knows if his sources are even telling the truth? Or know who controls the media?).  Mr Keen is worried that the print-media has lost money, but that’s the price of living in a democratic-capitalistic society.  Well, those companies will just have to adapt in order survive as their predecessors in the industry did with the invention of the radio and television.   As for piracy, it will always exist, and we’ll just have to find just and democratic ways to check it.  Whatever, Jay Z, Beyonce, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Lady Gaga are still filthy rich despite the millions of times they’ve been pirated.

So what’s the issue with the internet?

Mr Keen argues that all these “monkeys” are not worth being heard.  As if we don’t have a soul such as his that wishes to reach out, be heard, and maybe be an inspiration, a comedian, consoled, or a source of change etc. as Mr Keen wishes to be.  He wants the “professionals” and corporations to be the only sources who can reach out to the masses. Sounds like Mr Keen is a bit of an Elitist.  I think Mr Keen’s true issue is that with all of this amateur work on the web, his amateur work doesn’t receive enough attention. He should be careful about who he offends since he does rely upon us “monkey” to put his book on the “Top Seller’s List”.  So far his book only has 131 responses on Amazon’s Web 2.0, and a majority of the reviews rate Mr Keen’s work poorly.  Sorry Mr Keen, maybe once you evolve into one of us “monkeys” you might receive a bit more attention.  Until then, I’ll teach you how to peel a banana.