Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like the Future

Technology makes anything and everything possible. In this modern age, communication
is all but instantaneous. Technology gives a whole new dimension to the terms outdated,
obsolete, and old-fashioned. Apple feels the need to release a new product within a few
months or so. Windows constantly develops new software updates. Facebook updates its layout
continuously. These are all results of the fashionable, dynamic culture we are in. Gradually,
technology shaped the development of cultures and subcultures. It is the only thing that has
changed so rapidly before our eyes. Kurt Anderson claims in his article in Vanity Fair, You Saw
You Want a Devolution? that technological progress is the only sign of advancement and
progress within the last decade: We seem to have trapped ourselves in a vicious cycle
economic progress and innovation stagnated, except in information technology (8). As a
subculture, indies fate is now tied to the fate of technology. Did the flux of technological
advancement in the distribution of indie music allow indie culture to thrive or did it cause indies
demise? The future of indie culture is in critical condition unless we learn to recognize the role
that technology plays in its past, present, and future. I will investigate the two sides to the issue
of technology in indie culture using Michael Z Newmans essay Indie Culture: In Pursuit of
the Authentic Autonomous Alternative and Richard Lloyds work, Neo-Bohemia: Art and
Commerce in the Postindustrial City, as support for technology as a boon to indies existence and
Ryan Hibbetts essay What Is Indie Rock?, Rachel Madduxs essay Is Indie Dead? and Kurt
Andersons article as mentioned as support for the side that technological advancement harmed
indie culture. Both sides agree that technology fueled the cause for more indie art to be created.
However, the tech-savants believe that indie art and technology form a valuable relationship,
each benefiting from the other, while the skepticists are wary of technology and see it only as a

ruthless force that refuses to let indie remain obscure and autonomous. Indie now lives in the
modern age of technological reliance, but the controversy arises as to whether it has benefited
from, been negatively influenced by, or is yet to be affected by technology at all.
The skepticists declare that technology is the bane of indies obscurity. Hibbett argues
that technology made indie more accessible. It transformed indie into a highly marketable,
cultural capital. One can simply open up the internet browser, visit a few websites and then have
unlimited exposure to all kinds of indie music, art, and styles. Hibbett cites a page on
Soyouwanna.com (SYW) that explains how to Fake Being an Indie Rock Expert. The article
implies how being affiliated with indie would elevate ones social status. It concludes that being
indie is a tangible quality, a characteristic that is not only desirable but also achievable. Hibbett
criticizes this approach by SYW, citing it as superficial.rather than providing [the wannabe
with] some kind of internal satisfaction, such as helping one appreciate music, [becoming an
indie rock expert] performs a purely social function (69). Hibbet concludes that, by creating a
how-to guide, the writers of SYW draw a very fine line between authentic and fake indie.
Nothing authentic is truly authentic if it can be mimicked. Essentially, the popularization of indie
through social websites causes authentic indie culture to be dispersed across mediums of
inauthenticity. This is evident when SYW teaches eager viewers how to be indie rock experts by
outlining the looks, behavior, and habits of a typical one: Were here to tell you that you too can
be a hipster. By learning the basics of what the indie phenomenon is all about, you should be
well on your way to passing yourself off as a die-hard fan. (SYW). Hibbett questions this
assumption because being an indie rock expert is so much more than impersonating the ways of
the true indie fan. To attempt to disguise as one without actually appreciating indie music is to be
a poser. Existing [as an indie rock expert] in the absence of music is a discourse, a circulation of

signs, and a surprisingly meticulous social etiquette (73). What were left with is the conclusion
that being indie is now a fashion that everyone wants to have. The end result of this hype is a
devalued culture because of its lack of obscurity. In short, technology in the form of websites
such as SYW mocks indies authenticity.
Besides the effect of technology on indie fans, Hibbett also analyzes the changes that
technology brought upon indie music. Perhaps the greatest and most straightforward influence
that technology has on indie rock is in its distribution and marketing schemes. Hibbett cites
Amazon.coms friendly suggestions about what a consumer might like based on previous
purchases. In Hibbetts case, his interest in Godspeed You Black Emperor moved Amazon to
suggest Stratfords new album Love & Distortion (73). Suddenly, any indie band that had
signed with a record company was no longer obscure. On a larger scale, indie songs that were
privately enjoyed by die-hard fans now have millions of views on Youtube, many of which do
not include indie music fans at all. This is the complete opposite of how indie music was shared
before the flux of technology. Indie music listeners in the 90s and punk rock fans in the 80s were
truly avid users because people afforded what they could, and ignored the rest (Richard Beck 2).
Now anyone can listen to music because the distribution of songs is so widespread. This trend
leads to escalating consumerism in indie products, and formation of indie into a capitalist culture.
Hibbett refers to the marketable side of indie culture when he says that the creation of unique
and autonomous identities helps to sell products (74). T-shirts that are distressed or pre-used
are more desirable than new, wannabe band shirts (71). Retailers such as Hot Topic or Urban
Outfitters sell exactly these qualities in their merchandise. It then goes to show that indie fans or
indie rock experts real or fake are actually part of a more predetermined, social structure.
For all its proclaimed edginess, indie rock satisf[ies] more thanchallenge[s] preexisting social

and economic structures (75). The key word is that indie rock now satisfies societys standards
rather than questions them. As a result, Hibbett argues that indie rock became more marketable,
but also lost its artistic and cultural exclusiveness. [These results]suggest that the desire to be
different is little more than commonplace, that the indie elite are more numerous than they would
perhaps care to think (76). Hibbetts assumptions about indie culture are that indie was
popularized by marketing and distribution. The mass commercialization of indie due to
technology (in the form of websites) contributed to indies downfall as an exclusive subculture.
Because everyone knew exactly what it is, indie is no longer as distinctive.
This leads into Rachel Madduxs claims about technology and indies demise. She agrees
that while technology has made indie culture more accessible, it has also destroyed it. Over the
last three decades, indie has built itself a subculture that is just as dependent on trends,
superficiality and the whims and caprices of the listening public as the pop mainstream has ever
been (11). Indie culture is dead, and Maddux is not regretful. She assumes that modern
advertising in commercials is all centered on the moneymaking business. Indies selling factor is
its uncoolness (8). However, the increased popularization of the Web usurped power from
major labels (9). Maddux cites the example of Etsy, a website founded in 2005 that has
become a hub of commerce for independent artists and crafterswhile there are millions of
beautifully wrought items for sale, theres an equal number of creations that shouldve never left
the craft room (9). Technology made indie gain too much momentum. It went ahead of itself, to
the point where indie music good, bad, amateur, and old-school was everywhere. Maddux
laments that the lightspeed Internet has made buzz an end unto itself... (11). The internet
doomed indie culture in many ways, starting and ending with too much accessibility. Anderson
corroborates this statement when he asserts that even as technological and scientific leaps have

continued to revolutionize life, popular style has been stuck on repeat, consuming the past
instead of creating the new (1). Anderson blames this endless cycle on technology. Amidst all
the new development, new technology has reinforced the nostalgic cultural gaze (4) All in
all, the internet serves as an infinite amount of space where we can squirrel away old music
albums and records, which draws us back to the problem with accessibility and easy longing for
the past.
The tech-savants however, prefer to look at technology in more optimistic ways. Michael
Z. Newman focuses on the popularization of indie music through television and Richard Lloyd
talks more about the good that the Web and technological equipment has provided for indie
artists. In Newmans essay, Indie Culture: In Pursuit of an Authentic Autonomous Alternative,
he argues that the use of indie music in television commercials led to the improved opinion about
indie music: the rationalization of selling out as infiltration of the establishment recuperates
the credibility of the indie artist (22). This selling out came from commercial advertising that
made indie artists gain fame. Indie music became more widely known, was implemented in
mainstream culture, and ultimately redefined the values of mainstream itself. In fact, the
incorporation of indie culture in mainstream products did not undermine indie values. Newman
states, I do not mean to point out that indie culture has been co-opted or that it has sold out, but
that the mainstream culture has to some extent bought in, and that the indie culture may be no
less credible as a result (33). Contingents of the indie subculture were revolutionized with
technology through media advertising, but indie music was still music it was art for arts sake.
In short, mainstream became less mainstream and indie remained the same.
Technology, according to Richard Lloyd, also benefited indie culture through the Web. In
Lloyds essay, Neo-Bohemia: Art and Neighborhood Redevelopment in Chicago, he analyzes

the positive changes that technology brought to indie artists. Instead of indie being dominated by
the Web during distribution, indie artists learned to utilize the internet as mediums to market their
art. Lloyd cites a source called Notes Pariser (2000) that claims that contemporary artists have
embraced the Web, creating websites as a natural extension of their artistic output (62). Indie
artists are adjusting to the new digital age, where money is possible, according to Michael
Weinberg in Lloyds essay: My friends used to say theres no money in art. I say bullshit. Im
making web pages, full motion video, and its true, Digital Kitchen (527). Weinberg is the
founder of the Wicker Park Internet design, and Wicker Park is known as one the most neobohemian, independent urban areas in Chicago. The fact that Weinberg can be prolific in making
indie art and still stay economically sound validates the fact that technology has indeed been a
boon for indie artists. Not only did technology revolutionize indie culture, but it also
revolutionized the general cultural growth. Lloyd mentions Richard Florida, who coins the term
creative class as the emergent young artists in authentic urban environments. These artists are
critical to advancement of urban society. Lloyd asserts that Florida argues that the driving force
behind urban prosperity is the ability to attract members of what he calls the creative class
(520). These members of the creative class are hybrids of indie art and technology. They are the
future of urban life and future of cultural progress. The tech-savants, in short, are positive that
indie and technology are coexisting and making meaningful contributions to humanity.
Both the tech-savants and skepiticists are correct when they declare that technology and
indie are developing a critical relationship that will affect more than just the indie subculture.
However, these two sides are a bit skewed because they address trends that occur during different
time periods. It is reasonable to conclude that the relationship between technology and indie
culture is shifting. Technologys role in indie art changed from only affecting indies marketing

and distribution to being something more artistically useful and applicable in indie art and music.
It grew from being a sole player in indies unwanted mass distribution to a questionable role in
the popularization of indie music through commercial advertising to finally being implemented
in the process of making indie art. Technology is advancing entirely too quickly to draw any
sound conclusion, but it is apparent that cultural progress now depends on the new creative class
that uses technology to its fullest potential. As Lloyd concludes, cosmopolitan and creativity are
valuable attributes not only for avant-garde artists, but also for professionals in a global
economy (530). Technology and indie have combined to form a creative class that hints of
an emergent indie culture. The new indie culture is abroad, and it comes hand in hand with
technology.
There are other factors besides technology that affect underground culture. In fact,
economic, political, and social changes can determine the fate of a subculture. More specifically,
street art namely, graffiti art is part of an underground culture that risks being completely
overridden by strict law enforcement. In the face of modern times, graffitists face increasing
restrictions. According to Richard Lachmanns essay Graffiti as Career and Ideology, New
York City transit police officer cited that cops are on the lookout to arrest more young graffitists
because it is predictable that a young graffiti writer will become a criminal. This was in
response to the statistic that 28.78% of previously graffiti artists later went on to commit
felonies. As a result of the stricter law enforcement, artists began to be wary of the streets. Street
art became more institutionalized when graffiti found its way into galleries, shows, and even
onto the internet. This movement was largely beneficial for street art, since artists are now able
to remain obscure and keep their personal voice without the risks of endangering themselves or
their work. As I have previously established, technology has been successful in helping indie

music be prominent and offer new directions for its future. I will now attempt to establish that it
has done the same for street art in that it gives the underground culture the same opportunities as
it provided for indie culture. I will conclude that technology itself furthers creativity in society
and contributes directly to societal progress. Contrary to what Anderson claims in his essay,
western society will not go out with a long, nostalgic whimper (8) because technology will
prevent that downfall from happening.
Indie art is difficult to define. However, street art is quite similar to embodying indie
values. It has political, economic and social opposition and is all about non-conformity and
embracing individualism in spite of the norm standard. For example, street art is prominently
seen on the 5Pointz Aerosol Art Center in Long Island, New York. The 5Pointz building is
essentially a graffiti Mecca for graffiti artists around the world to express their ideas and to see
other art by famous graffitists. Over the years, legendary artists from Canada, Switzerland, the
Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, and more have visited the 5Pointz building. The site is the epitome of
everything graffiti artists live for. They learn the techniques, dream the vision, and aspire to paint
their work alongside notable graffitists of their time. Street artists create art solely for their own
enjoyment and use nicknames to associate themselves with their work. Graffiti artists are usually
faceless and never seek public approval or appreciation for their art. The existence of the 5Pointz
Building may seem to oppose the stereotype of graffiti art in that it is a specifically assigned
workspace where graffiti artists can work. However, this institutionalized art only unites the
graffitists more, as many come from around the world to paint and view other artists work.
Communication and collaboration within the street art community is possible by means of the
5Pointz institution. According to the website, the building attracts many kinds of spectators. On
any given day, these people can be prominent deejays, Emcees (rappers), filmmakers,

photographers, and entire tour buses full of regular admirers. Overall, the effect that the
institution has on the street art community is akin to the effect that technology had on indie
music. Both mediums are controversial, but effective in uniting the culture and giving it new
directions for the future.
Besides the 5Pointz building serving as a sanctuary and stimulus for street art, public
galleries have done the same. Klughaus Gallery, Brooklyn Street Art, Street Art NYC, and
Woodward Gallery are a few galleries that display the work of street artists. This again,
according to Lachmann, is a result of the troubling state of safety for graffiti artists. Since the
1970s, police harassment of street artists has been increasing: The policeseize and often
destroy the black books writers carry that contain photos and sketches of their murals. One
policeman boasted, We get the kids, and their books contain enough evidence to get a
conviction. (243). The graffitists are not arrested, but beaten up quite badly. They live to tell
their tales of those gruesome beatings to their graffiti friends, who in turn become discouraged or
too frightened to continue roaming the streets and making art. Lachmann claims that these same
artists were sought out by institutions to contain the art in galleries. Entrepreneurs and gallery
owners madeattempts to commodify graffiti in the 1970s and 1980s. Their efforts succeeded in
the second period because, in the interval, the police had disrupted the writers corners [where
the artists would work] (248). Street art in the streets became street art in the galleries. Despite
this change, Lachmann asserts that it did nothing to alter street arts fundamental values and the
way it was perceived by other artists. If the existence of a subculture is a sign that its members
reject hegemonic practices, then simply offering the rewards of a dominant culture [gallery space
for street art] should notsubvert the subcultures ideological or organizational cohesiveness
(248). Lachmann says that street art still remains an underground, oppositional, anti-hegemonic

culture. Institutionalized street art has done nothing to make street art less underground, but it has
instead increased personal security for the artists.
Besides street art being institutionalized by galleries, it has also gained the same
recognition through the internet. Technological distribution is perhaps an even larger factor in
street arts distribution. Banksy, the British artist and political activist, is famous for his graffiti
art that range from being political to appealing to everyday humor. He posts his artwork on his
website for any interested viewer to see. However, there still remains a level of obscurity in his
distribution. To view his work, one must click past each picture slide one by one. This makes it
so that each photo is meant to be viewed one at a time. There is no option to see all his artwork
all on one page. Banksy does not give his viewer that option because in reality, one cannot
simply scroll past artwork on graffiti walls. Each art piece must be seen as a separate entity. This
is where technology helps distribute street art, but does not devalue its work any less. Banksy
expresses his ideas about World War II, nationalism, love, and war & peace. His website
immortalizes his art. Technology allows equal opportunity for all viewers to access his ideas as a
political activist and his artwork as a highly skilled artist. It only makes the street art community
more close-knit. People who are interested in appreciating and enjoying indie art will know
where to look if they cannot afford traveling to specific places where his art is found. Street art is
thriving, and contributes to the growth of underground culture. As long as this continues, cultural
progress is possible.
However, there are critics who believe that cultural progress has halted. Anderson
laments the fall of creativity and claims that since the turn of the new millennium, there are no
more signs of cultural progress. in the arts and entertainment and style realms, this bizarre
Groundhog Day stasis of the last 20 years or so certainly feels like an end of cultural history (3).

He argues that technology is the one force that continues to grow, but simultaneously contributes
to increased nostalgia for the past: the more certain things change for real (technology, the
global political economy), the more other things (style, culture) stay the same (5). However,
Anderson does not consider how much different the world is compared to the previous decade.
True, progress in fashion and artistic taste by the public may have halted, but artists are no less
creative than they were before. Armed with technology that will increase unity among the
underground community, artists and musicians will continue to create new forms of art.
Technology gives street art its unity in an increasingly harsh and dangerous world. It also paves
the way for new art forms to be created. The creative class, as Lloyd says, is emergent and will
come forth in the urbanized, tech-savvy youth.
Technology is the reason for underground cultures future. By increasing circulation and
distribution among loyal fans and artists, technology will unite the underground community. It
will revolutionize art forms, as indie culture now contains indie video games such as Super Meat
Boy, Fez, and Braid. Technology has not stagnated cultural progress. It fueled the growth of
underground culture, and it will also fuel the growth of general culture. Technology will be the
solution to prevent the vicious cycle (7) of recycled trends from happening. With new art being
easily circulated by means of the internet and institutions, innovative trends and emergent ideas
will assimilate into society, making societal progress imminent.

Works Cited
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2012
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Banksy. Home page. Web. 12 December 2012.

http://www.banksy.co.uk/

Bannister, Matthew. Loaded: Indie Guitar Rock, Canonism, White Masculinities. Popular
Music
25.1 (2006). 77-95.

Beck, Richard. Pitchfork, 1995present. n+1 19 January 2012. http://nplusonemag.com/54

Hibbett, Ryan. What Is Indie Rock? Popular Music and Society 28.1 (Feb 2005). 55-77.

Lachmann, Richard. Graffiti as Career and Ideology. The University of Chicago Press. Sep.,
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http://www.jstor.org/stable/2780774

Lloyd, Richard. Neo-Bohemia: Art and Commerce in the Postindustrial City. New York:
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2006.

Maddux, Rachel. Is Indie Dead? Paste 26 Jan 2010:

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/01/is-indie-dead.html.

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