Disruption of the Broadcast

Abstract

“The role of the media … forces us to ask what kind of a world and what kind of a society we want to live in, and in particular, in what sense of democracy do we want this to be a democratic society?” – Noam Chomsky, Media Control. The artist is stereotypically cast as an isolated figure, a lone wolf sequestered in the quiet solitude of his or her studio. But today, artists are plugged in and wired, like everyone else, such that the torrent of news and information that lights up our screens in such overabundance often finds its way into the artistic process. And conversely, with the emerging tools of the Web, self-publishing blogs, and social media, artists are increasingly engaged in reporting news and opinion, becoming their own media outlets, distribution centers, and independent news feeds. In this sense, the new media artist uses technological means to take control of media information and broadcast it according to their own perspective.