Technology and culture

As we all know with developments in the web, it generally starts with bloggers and musicians trying to get their voice heard. Music fans and the general public are next, which creates the motivation for brands to jump on-board. The indie music press generally accelerate the whole process and Fact Magazine were no different, progressing to digital exclusively in 2009:

“In 2005, FACT went digital, and in 2009 it became exclusively online, after the website’s status overtook that of the print magazine.”

Fact Magazine

By the middle of the decade, bloggers had grown in significant popularity. Labelled the ‘golden era’ of blogging (2006–8), the period was summed up by a bloke called Carles who ran Hipster Runoff, a tribute to the 2000’s hipster movement that later became a global phenomenon.

Vice Magazine hit the mainstream during this decade as well, after years of mediocre journalism and click-bait web posts, creating an interesting cultural mix of alternative music and independent culture.

My generation also had the impact of technology from social networks like Facebook to Apple’s iPhone. Once companies saw the business case for digital, the older generations were thrown into the online mix as well.

Overall, the disruption from culture and technology created a period of huge upheaval, but do we see any parallels to now?

Surprisingly yes, it does feel like we are re-visiting a number of similar stories and issues. Zoella is effectively the video version of Carles, taking vlogging to new global heights. Education publisher Pearson is in the midst of a ‘digital transformation’ and Google are re-shaping our thoughts on innovation with driver-less cars, artificial intelligence and virtual reality.

However, if you look at the disruption by technology and culture between 2000–10, including the debates over vinyl and the loss of print, the independent scene has successfully evolved into digital through the combination of video and live shows, a lesson that we could all learn from, today.