In your infinite scrolling, I’m certain you’ve observed the identical factor I’ve. Every part appears the identical, sounds the identical, is similar. There’s the infinitely multiplying franchises throughout all mediums. “We at the moment are stranded on this abandoned island in the midst of the ocean.” There’s Mr. Beast and his numerous clones. [YELLING] There’s mega influencers and their lavish life. [GUNSHOTS] Everyone is taking part in outdated video games and listening to outdated songs, or new songs that sound like they may very well be from 1995. [SABRINA CARPENTER, “ESPRESSO”]: “Thinkin’ about me, each night time, oh Isn’t that candy? I assume so ——” It’s viral crazes like that cup that everyone on TikTok needed to discuss for months. Every part is thirst traps, and smash the likes, and hit Subscribe, and thumbnails that each one look the identical, and clickbaity texts that each one reads the identical. It seems like there’s been a dimming of our creativeness and even of chance. Are we someway turning into much less artistic? I’m obsessive about creativity. I even made a viral video sequence about it that I traveled all over the world speaking about. I haven’t at all times thought popular culture was enhancing, essentially, however I assumed it was going someplace, at the very least. It wasn’t circling. [ALARM BEEPING] Till now. I see circling. Creativity issues. It’s about extra than simply artwork and leisure. To resolve the alarming challenges of the long run, we’ll want out-of-the-box pondering, but sadly, we’re largely caught in the identical field. It seems like sameness guidelines. Don’t take my phrase for it. Different cultural commentators are additionally warning us concerning the disaster of sameness. As theorist Matt Klein places it, “There’s this bizarre factor that’s taking place the place amongst artistic surplus, we’ve got artistic stagnation.” Every part you’re consuming on-line and in your telephones is simply the tip of the iceberg. Down beneath, beneath the waves, is a complete different world, one the place creativity is flourishing. Let me present you this underworld and the way we will foster extra of this sort of creativity. So consider the tip of the iceberg as popular culture. It’s the mainstream. That is the place sameness guidelines. However beneath the tip of the iceberg, the creativity is there, and there’s lots of it. Regardless of the subject is, a small universe of content material awaits you on the expertise that drives tradition, the web. If you would like Excel tutorials with dancing, you bought it. If you would like critiques of historic sandwiches, you bought it. If you would like debunking of anti-vaxxers, you bought it. And if you need precise anti-vaxxers, certain, you bought it. I’m not saying all the things’s nice down right here, folks. That is simply the tiniest glimpse. There’s an infinity of fantastic newsletters, podcasts, YouTube channels and means, far more on the market. However the backside of the iceberg isn’t seen a lot. It’s smaller creators with smaller audiences. Our principal expertise of the tradition is the tip of the iceberg. It’s the sameness. So the creativity remains to be there. We simply don’t see it that always. Why not? There are many attainable solutions. It may very well be that innovation is simply getting more durable as a result of a lot has already been carried out. Possibly the sheer scale of the challenges we face is making us extra apathetic. Or possibly the robots actually have taken over. Many people are afraid that the robotic Armageddon is nigh. I’m not satisfied it’s, however there may be one vital place the place the robots have undoubtedly taken over: your social media feed. Social media algorithms are a type of A.I. And it’s algorithms that determine what’s within the high of the iceberg and what’s within the backside. Algorithms give us what we wish, however additionally they distort and amplify our preferences. Guidelines emerge. Then everyone obeys these guidelines. Making issues worse, it’s only a handful of algorithms that dominate. We as soon as had three highly effective TV networks. Now, we’ve got a distinct three-headed monster. Tech hegemony has produced cultural hegemony. However you will have energy right here. You possibly can create change. How? Once more, there are a lot of potentialities. Like, possibly we simply must demand that social media corporations do a greater job of amplifying artistic content material. Possibly we should always all spend extra time in what’s being referred to as the darkish forest web. These are personal communities the place we will calm down and be ourselves. Possibly we should always simply add extra newsletters and podcasts to our media diets. These are much less curated by algorithms and are available straight to you. Possibly we should always all transfer to new sorts of platforms, just like the so-called fediverse, which principally makes social media much less managed by platforms and extra like electronic mail newsletters and podcasts. Or possibly, simply possibly, we should always use social media much less. However right here’s one other, possibly darker chance. What if there’s nothing we will do, and we’re simply caught in a creatively stagnant period? Properly, stagnation can result in explosive change. The Renaissance in Northern Europe got here after struggle, the Black Demise, and spiritual turmoil. The Harlem Renaissance of the ‘20s and ‘30s sprang out of segregation and poverty. The counterculture motion of the ‘60s erupted after the conformity and repression of the ‘50s. My guess — when human creativity appears defeated, it’s really gathering energy and ready for its second to erupt.