Sunday, July 13, 2008

"Authenticity"


Authentic: of undisputed origin; genuine.

Authenticity molded by the hands of professional (or amateur) marketers, is perceived as inauthentic. Inauthentic does not sell today (ever?). In the land of YouTube, actors who pretend to be "caught in the act of doing something real, i.e., something authentic, are obviously inauthentic. Marketers present in the style of authenticity. Things are, quote authentic end quote. Something like Colbert's "truthiness." Viewers often watch things like YouTube (at least me) not because they think the action is real but because they are amused by what goofy things people will perform just to get seen. And by how many people tune in to watch something mundane. Mundane must be the new exciting. Witness Facebook and blahgers.

Will inauthenticity, the straightforwardly commercially-invented offering, one that does not pretend to be original, now be perceived as authentic? Is inauthenticity the new authenticity?

1 comment:

faris said...

To thine own self be true

http://farisyakob.typepad.com/blog/2006/07/authenticity.html

ps- have you read Gore Vidal's memoir/?