The nature of humans is such that we always try to explore and exploit the shortcuts in life. They are at the same time both the makings of sloth, as well as great leaps in development. As always, when at a party playing music, there are a whole lot of bastards making various requests. Mostly, of the type that I would never consider playing, since they would not fit smoothly into the set. But what really fascinates me is that, quite often, those people are not even remotely familiar with the kind of music they request. There was one especially odd geezer in a 90's jeans shirt, who kept asking for the most obscure rock/pop artists, but when I inquired about what specific tracks he was interested in hearing, he could not say. It immediately came quite clear that he was not really trying to convince me to play certain songs - he was rather looking to make a statement about himself before his friends, and me being the DJ and, thus, the expert and definer of musical matters at the scene.
This is all in line with the whole iPod playlist era. It is becoming more and more common for people to let their extensive phonebooks, playlists, Facebook friends and other "guilty by association" factors define them, rather than what they actually are and do. By mentioning a certain type of music, people can benefit from the image of that certain lifestyle without actually having to invest anything to become part of it. It does make sense, when considering the ever increasing possibilities of interaction and speed in everyday life. Now, that there are so many things possible, we feel guilty of not making full use of our thousands of options, so we use the shortcuts instead to sort of give the impression of being very initiated and expert individuals. We construct our resumés, such that they appear to be packed with degrees in different majors, work experience from all industries all around the world, and skills that would flatter even Einstein. We furnish our homes so that items exhibiting our skills and diverse range of interests are fully exposed. We read key literature and we go to key galleries, boutiques, bars and restaurants to be able to claim familiarity with the entire categories. We also namedrop celebrities, sub-culture leaders, fashion labels and music as if they were cosmetics of our persona. Very seldom do others question the actual content of these claims.
I am not suggesting that the whole shortcut concept is wrong. It is, though, part of our nature. What I strive to highlight, is the conflict between the limited amount of work and investments in our own persons that humans are capable of, and the increasing spare time and range of options. One person can only do so much before he or she must rest from the whole lot. As symptoms of this, I expect to see quite a lot more fancy gadgets and "life simplifyers" on the market in the very near future. It started with the published Winamp playlist, continued with the very portable and displayable iPod and, most recently, the Pacemaker. All joining the ranks for the crusade to make dinstinct lifestyle statements in a convenient manner.
Somewhere deep down, I guess we all want to be true nerds, who know everything about something. Power to the nerd!
Check out the Pacemaker!
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