Technostalgia

 

Why is it that we throw away good ideas in a race to be trendy?

Someone had recently asked a question about a particular feature of synthesizers, specifically alternate tunings and micro-tunings which were common in synthesizers back in the 1980s and the 1990s. They allow you to divide the octave not in 12 but also 19 and 43, as well as "just" tunings (Just in C, Just in G). I had a synthesizer that did that, an Ensoniq TS-12 that I bought in 1994. Now that feature seems to have devolved. Perhaps it's available in software synths, but hardware synths probably no longer include it.

There are lots of things that have been invented over the past decades but manufacturers stopped incorporating them because it wasn't one of the the (perceived) popular options. Everyone has to want it (whether they really want it or not) or they run the risk of not being popular in the things they're making. I see this happening in so many different domains these days where it's a race to the stupidest low. Artistic intentions are hard to hold down because of the tsunami of trendy content inundating our world, creative or otherwise.

Now the popular thing is ChatGPT and writing lyrics and poetry with it. That was one of the first things people did with Macs when they were first released in the 80s, with Elk Cloner, which became the first computer virus. We always seem to reset to square one, which I think is very interesting. I am seeing this a lot now, with people wanting to go back to Social Media 1.0 by decamping to the fediverse for example. The other day I noticed people posting "Mastoart" as a riff on "Mashoart".

The trope of our time seems to be the escape from technological hegemony to find our tribe, but it seems to always go south at some point. Why is that?

This was the ChatGPT's answer to the initial question:

"The desire to be trendy and fashionable is a common human tendency, and it can sometimes lead people to discard good ideas in favor of what is currently popular. This may be because people want to fit in and be accepted by their peers, or because they believe that following the latest trends will make them more successful or attractive. However, it is important to remember that trends are often fleeting and that good ideas can stand the test of time, even if they are not currently fashionable. Therefore, it is generally a good idea to consider the value and merit of an idea on its own terms, rather than simply dismissing it because it is not currently trendy."