BitchBuzz: The Digital Revolution Will be Gendered

I should start this post with a shout out to the fabulous Maura McHugh, a new friend who shared a fabulous, nigh on four hour lunch with me on Tuesday. Obviously we found a lot to talk about. Those of you who tend to think of me as taciturn would have been surprised. Of course we are now plotting world domination -- that's just how we roll.

I'm off to Scotland today: big smiles all around.

My column today brings together a number of things that have happened lately. If it's less light-hearted than most of my columns, it's because I'm fed up. Again. As I say at the end, I have been fighting the same fights since childhood. World, you're on notice.

The [Digital] Revolution Will Be Gendered

By K.A. Laity

Someone on Facebook shared a link to a film that looked like it hit directly at the conundrum of the digital age: suddenly the world has opened up to a lot more people who can share their creations with a much wider audience than ever before. A film no longer requires a torturous studio system of development hell and artistic interference; just kickstart and go.

On the other hand, the burgeoning cacophony of the digital explosion gets harder and harder to wade through. As the traditional gatekeepers disappear, how do audiences find the good stuff—and how do artists find their audiences?

The film is PressPausePlay. Created by a Swedish "creative agency" (which seems to be the new name for "advertising agency") it has a description that seems full of potential and a screen capture of Moby:

The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent in an unprecedented way, with unlimited opportunities. But does democratized culture mean better art or is true talent instead drowned out? This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world's most influential creators of the digital era.

I should say I did enjoy a lot of the film and there are many interesting points made in it (as well as a lot of blather that could have been cut) but as I watched I began to experience a familiar sinking feeling: about twenty minutes or so went by before they spoke to someone who was not male. Another fifteen minutes before they spoke with someone who wasn't obviously Caucasian.

Is it really that difficult?...

Read the rest over at BBHQ. And think about your privilege before you ask for that cookie.