Commodification of Technology - the Future of the Past

During the early 1900's, the art of motion pictures emerged as a major art form. Previously, it had only been shown as intermissions on theaters and concerts. It was mainly the working class that drove the development towards displaying movies as the main attraction, since it could be done for a fraction of the cost of live theater. Soon, the Hollywood dominance began - Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin are among the names of the first movie superstars.

The outbreaks of the Great War and WWII, also contributed greatly to the importance of movies. Celebrities in service were used extensively to boost morale and create propaganda. "Gone With the Wind" is one of the many wartime box office successes that live on today as a classic. In Europe, however, the post-war trauma gave birth to the European art movie genre with darker themes, as in "Dr Caligari's Cabinet". The notion of a divided world and death's intrusion into everyday life gave more depth to the releases on our continent.

Another effect of the post-war era, was the economic boom that all of a sudden provided the youth and the growing midddle class with spare money in their pockets. What to do, but spend it all on soda and rock & roll? The survival of rock & roll was secured as a major genre in popular music. Definitely a symptom of hope in the reconstructed, new world.

Television, just like the movies, had its origins in vaudeville entertainment. With it, yet another form of celebrities appeared. Sport events, premieres, tv-series, news reads and such entered the homes of ordinary people.

Together, these three and other phenomena are examples of how the cultural participation spread over nation and class borders. Ever since, there has been huge demand for further technologies and services that satisfy the want for exotism and individual statements. Technology and spare time have become commodities driven by popular demand. Video tape recorders, Walkman, iPod, laptops, Internet file sharing... What comes next?