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When Critics Go Soft, Audiences Pay the Price
Undue credit
Critics experience so much bad work that they get accustomed to it.
When they do see originality, or arguably interesting intentions, or technical proficiency, or something that is bad but not bad in the usual way, they will give these things undue credit.
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Types of critics
Critics are criticized for being offenders of a few specific types:
- Overintellectual nitpickers.
- Soft touches who are paid by studios and record labels.
- Chummy logrollers. In the social media age, you'll be surrounded by a relentless enthusiasm that might make you believe that all new books are fantastic.
- Careerist contrarians. They try to stand out from the crowds with their cynical eye-catching opinions. "Daddy's Home 2 is the second coming of Molière."
The Reviewer's Fallacy
We've all have experienced shows that we've read high praise for, then been disappointed by. One of the root causes of the reviewer's fallacy is based on the opinion that 90% of film, literature, consumer goods are mediocre or worse.
It would be tiresome for critics to find new ways to condemn worthless work. The editors and owners of the publications would also not be happy with a consistently downbeat arts section. Therefore, critics are unconsciously inclined to use a rating that if something isn't very good, but is better than two-thirds of other entries in the genre, it can get a B or B-plus.
Undue credit
Critics experience so much bad work that they get accustomed to it.
When they do see originality, or arguably interesting intentions, or technical proficiency, or something that is bad but not bad in the usual way, they will give these things undue credit.
The consumers wish list
The wish list differs for different people.
In books, films, and TV, it comes down to a story to which we gratefully suspend our disbelief and allow ourselves to be carried away. In music, the distinction is between words that we find merit in and music that enhances the meaning of the words.
Different views
The set of critics’ and audiences’ interests overlap but are not the same.
The audience wants to know if they should spend their time and money on it. The critic gets in for free and has to listen or read or watch to whatever is next. Their questions are about craft and originality and wallet quality.
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Key Ideas
The Forgetting Curve
Our memories have a 'forgetting curve', and unless we review what we see or learn, most of the content is forgotten in 24 hours, and the rest in the following days.
Due to the Interne...
Memories Are Associations
The more information that is available to us, the more we are unable to retain it. Memory means association and most information we consume may be simply buried inside, lurking deep in, and surfacing when the right cue pops up.
Binge-watching or binge-reading serves no useful purpose as we are only holding the content in our working memories. That's why schools space out the chapters and review them, helping us retain the material.
Memories Get Interwoven
The art and culture we engage our brains in turn into memories which can be unpredictable and fickle.
The books we read, the songs we hear and the movies we watch become interwoven and entangled with everything else in our lives.
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Key Ideas
"Retro" Love
Production of new TV content has increased exponentially since the last decade, due to a variety of streaming platforms competing against each other and a whole lot of channels on the air.
...
Searching For Stability
Retro video games and 80’s /90’s music are a popular choice even with thousands of new and ultra-realistic video games and so many options in music being available, as they provide a sense of comfort in a world that is increasingly precarious and unstable.
The overabundance of content makes people feel overwhelmed and confused. Add to it the fact that today’s pop culture options often reflect the current dystopian world, when most of us are wanting to escape from it, and have limited time.
Volitional Reconsumption
.. is a deliberate act of revisiting old cultural favorites, as a form of self-discovery and self-identity. When people rewatch something, they watch it more intensely and can find out creative details and hidden meanings that were lost in the first viewing, appreciating the fine work of art even more.
Example: The Most Popular Sitcom in the UK in 2019 was the 90s sitcom Friends, which was in the Top 10 most-watched show list on Netflix the same year.
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Turn The Heat Around
Make it your critic's job to prove themselves to you, rather than the other way around.
99% of critics disappear when confronted with any kind of rigorous intellectual challenge....
Preparing For Battle
No one is going to engage in a serious debate with you when you look prepared for an academic beat down.
If someone attacks your work in a nasty way, don't get angry. Say instead something like: “it’s interesting that you should say that because my research (cite some book or blog post) seems to suggest that the opposite is actually true. Is there some study or paper you can point me to that would validate your claim?”
Get Inspired
Use the criticism of your past work to generate ideas for new projects.
For example, researching a response to a critic may lead you to read about or experience something you never would have before, which can open the door for all sorts of new experiments in your professional or personal projects.
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