Marie89, 3/26

In class on Thursday, we talked about how Jameson stated that “depth is replaced by surface.” In a literal sense, this can be applied to architecture or art in that what we see is more important than its function. For example, our culture has become a group of people who focus on image rather than function. It seems that there is a competitive nature among us that strives to be the most aesthetically pleasing rather than functional. Architecture has begun to take on extreme characteristics, artwork has begun to lose its meaning, and we have begun to want things that enhance our image rather than our well-being. We are a society driven by image—and it has overflowed into other aspects of our culture as well. More figuratively speaking, however, we are also a society based upon the quick flow of ideas. We are busy in that we want things instantly, even if it means disregarding important features that may enhance its purpose. For example, in high school, one of my teachers stated that our generation has lost sight of searching for hidden meanings within texts. We no longer read into movies, etc. as we are programmed to have the message laid out for us. We often find movies boring or miss the meaning altogether when this is not the case. This is not our fault, however, as our generation is so accustomed to having things done for us. We are a culture based on instant gratification, even if at the expense of a greater appreciation of works. This also goes along with the cult of the new. We always strive for what is better which we instantly identify with new. We hardly challenge this idea as we only look to the surface of meaning rather than striving to read into it. Depth has become a thing of the past, for our generation, at least.