1/ The way you experience art radically shapes your relationship to it, the culture around it, and over time the art itself

the medium is the message, and for a century technology and media have demanded more and more attention

this is the picture of a revolution 🧵

2/ over the past few months my consumption of screen media has included cinema, TV, computer, phone, and now a dedicated screen by @TokenframeNFT

each one has a radically different experience, economic model, and promotes very different forms of art

3/ consider a movie theater

the large screen and surround sound create an immersive experience for as long as most can tolerate it, between 1.5-2.5 hours depending on the target age

4/ everything in a theater, down to the popcorn, is designed to keep you in your seat

🍿 small bites in a big bag so it takes a while to eat
🧂 salty to keep you occupied and prevent fidgeting
🤌 finger food so you can use one hand
🚫🥨 soft so loud chewing won’t annoy neighbors

5/ there’s a feedback mechanism between art and it’s medium, and both constantly evolve

but for the most part if you want to make a movie your job is to tell a compelling story in about 120 minutes using a variety of artistic forms that work well in that setting

6/ television is a close cousin but very different

a screen at home is more accessible, but your attention is less reliable

repeated viewing ➡️ ongoing stories

free admission ➡️ advertising business model

more distractions ➡️ shorter programs ➡️ more comedy / drama per hour

7/ now we come to phones and social media, where companies can get your attention anywhere, and MUST DO THIS to compete in the arms race

so phones and apps are optimized to buzz, beep, nudge, notify, etc for max FOMO

8/ don’t get me wrong, there are massive benefits to social media when it comes to building communities and relationships online

but there very real costs to our mental health and IRL relationships too

9/ home displays are a radical departure from other ways we use screens

my @TokenframeNFT just sits there, part of my life, not trying to make me to do anything, showing cool art at dinner to my friends and family

like a psychopath

(ht Picasso, @Reuben_Wu, and @InstantPot)

10/ remember the other business models:

🎥 compete for your undivided attention for an hour or two

📺 compete for regular attention at home

📱 compete for constant attention everywhere

11/ for decades the mass media environment has demanded more and more of your precious time and attention

this has radically shaped art, culture, and how we live our everyday lives

12/ NFTs create new business models for artists that escape social, but that’s only half the market

display screens solve the problem for consumers - instead of competing for attention, they allow you to experience digital art in a way that simply complements your life //