Is the Internet Ruining Everything From Music to Human Accountability?

It's no secret or surprise that musical artists from the 60s, 70s, and 80s are much enraged by what the Internet has done for record sales and music piracy. When I interviewed Stevie Nicks last week, she explained that part of the reason for releasing her new Live In Chicago DVD was to show "the kids" a real rock show. In addition, she told me, as so many artists have, that "downloads are the end." We all know that the music industry is in a fragile state right now. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the new stuff. The Electro-pop and indie rock genres are innovative and exciting , and arguably, hip-hop and rap are truly flourishing genres (see Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III, 3X Platinum.) However, I can't help but wonder, what if this is the last wave before utter destruction of the music scene, both in quality and production? And further, what if the tangible threat that "technology" poses on the music and movies industry is reflected more subtly but equally as strongly, in literature, friendship, and even love?

When I asked the Gold Dust Woman herself if we'd ever see a "Stevie Nicks" Twitter account, her answer, full of vigilance and almost ire, was "You will never see a Stevie Nicks Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or anything else, because I think it's cheap and it's sleazy and I hate it!" Call her dated all you want, but before you do, I think it's worth examining if perhaps she, a legendary icon who once all but ruled the music industry with band, Fleetwood Mac, is truly onto something.

I was reading an article in the New York Times today by Matt Richtel about how technology has almost completely obliterated the potential for the "classic love story." Richtel explores the concept that cell phones, blackberries, Facebooks and the like are "rendering obsolete some classic narrative plot devices: missed connections, miscommunications, the ability to reach someone." Think back to the best storylines you read in high school: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Virginia Woolf's Orlando, Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the list goes on. If Romeo could have just texted Juliet, or if Elizabeth had been able to get a hold of Mr. Darcy's screen name, there would have been no strife, no desperateness, no epically tragic moments; no story.

It goes deeper than literature and music, though. Humans are, as social beings, less apt to be accountable in this new age of texting and blackberry messaging. Being late for a dinner or a meeting is easily satiated with a quick electronic message saying, "be 5 late" or "can we reschedule?" To take it one step further, a break-up can be made clear over email or even texting - and we thought Carrie's "post-it" break-up with Berger was bad! In addition, infidelity has run rampant through secret text messages, emails, and the like. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of all of this is that the social networking sites that are so often utilized to commence romantic relationships are the same vehicles sometimes responsible for ending them. The offhanded comment, "Facebook ruined my relationship" has become less of a joke and more of a reality, and with the loss of accountability has also gone privacy and the "secret" rendezvous' ("Un-tag photo!")

Anyone who knows me would say that I'm one of the most "connected" and "internet savvy" people they know. I blog, upload video, write for internet sites, and am an active Facebook, Twitter, and Project Reveal member. I spend my days and nights reading news, politics, celebrity gossip, and music blogs on the World Wide Web. I love the fact that I can get my news anytime, anywhere, on any of my devices. However, like virtually everyone I know, I've also been subject the downfalls that have come with having so much of my life online. So, the question then becomes, where does all of this leave us? As the divorce rate remains at an all-time high and humans are, professionally and personally, less inclined to be accountable, we must ask ourselves, are all of these groundbreaking technological advances truly worth it? Are we, as a nation, more or less happy due to the era of the Internet and cell phones? Stevie Nicks would say no, but I, along with most in my friends, am not sold either way.

I pose this question, and as I ponder it more, will be sure to Twitter my thoughts at @kimmystolz in the upcoming days and weeks. And, yes, my Twitter is linked to my Facebook too.

Comments

[sklranch]

Very interesting & informative comments.

However, having work in very high technology & now music, I can honestly say: "For better or worse, technology is here to stay'.

The internet is people, millions of people.

Stevie's opinion is in a minority as far as musicians go. The Internet has open up the world to all musicians, not just those at the top. For this, we all should be grateful because, now, we know there are many, many, talented artist, in the world. If not for the Internet, we would never have been able to see or listen to.

Social Networking via the Internet is here to stay, for better or for worse.

Plus, as an added benefit, millions of trees, once used for making paper products to print on, have been spared.

--end

[nelsoncl]

We all need to remember that the Internet is a TOOL! This means that how we use it (or not use it) is up to us to figure out. Using technology to hide rude behavior is reprehensible. On the other hand, for those who are artists, musicians, poets, writers, etc, this medium is a place to be heard and gives people a chance to express themselves. It is also a place where one can consolidate their business operations, making it more efficient. Blaming the Internet for the downfall of civilization is much like blaming the telephone for the lack of personal interaction one gets these days, or blaming the automobile for the demise of the agricultural community. Let's all stop being afraid of technology, already. So what if Stevie Nicks doesn't want a facebook account--who says she needs one? The rest of us without the million dollar name would do well to have one, if just to make contact with new fans.

[MollyBGreenberg]

I think this piece asks really important questions. I agree that I keep in touch with many more friends and relatives thanks to the internet and my iphone - people I would never talk to ten years ago are now relatively regular parts of my life, and I love that.

What I think is dangerous is when we allow the "virtual world" to come before our physical world: I never want to give precedence to those with whom I am emailing or texting over those people physically with me, spending real "3-D" time. Simple guidelines can help us have it all: no emailing/t­exting/twi­ttering at dinner, no phone calls during "friend time," etc...

[Anna Wainwright - Huffpost Blogger]

Great piece Kim.

On Friday I sent an email to 5 of my friends from my Blackberry, which read: "I love this phone more than I have loved any of my boyfriends­."

This is alarming.

[Shawn de Montaigne]

It seems that with the advance or introduction of any new technology there will always be somebody to scream in alarm that the World Is Ending. Not so.

Human beings are human beings are human beings. In the end, the more things change, the more they remain the same.

[Tanene Allison - Huffpost Blogger]

Love the article, but have to say I disagree with the high priestess of rock and roll. Namely, I read about her thoughts, and your response to them, on various blogs and in emails. I wouldn't have heard Stevie's ideas, in the first place, without those mediums. Only the internet allowed Stevie's thoughts to be shared at all.

Additionally, as our generation becomes more mobile and my friends travel the world and country as a regular part of their lives, so many of my relationships are only able to be kept up via technology making it easier. I think, equally, as that fact becomes more true, our diverse online lives actually force us to become more accountable. What I blog, or Twitter or put on Facebook is a conscious addition to the social narrative of my world and how I navigate it. I know that I am to be held accountable for what thoughts I put out there, and that there's a consistency of identity that emerges via someone's on-going internet presence. I think we're far from knowing how to always use these tools effectively, but I, for one, think my life would be better if Stevie Nicks could directly communicate to me and her other fans via a blog or Twitter account, rather than hoping she gets interviewed somewhere that may or may not get on TV or in a magazine, but will likely end up reaching most folks once it gets put on a blog anyhow.

[Romulus]

All in all, I think the Internet is great for social relationships. I have found people on the Internet that I had not spoken to for 40 years. I've kept in touch with people with whom I have not had physical contact for over 10 years. Before the Internet, when people graduated from high school in all but small towns, they lost contact with most of the people with whom they grew up. I have re-established contact through the Internet with several of these childhood friends.