The senses, from experience to emotion
Let's face it: we like to watch. It's biological, it's been part of us since we were born. Long before we know how to communicate, we learn to understand the world around us by observing . Vision is a powerful tool. Sound is even more so, in our mother's womb we perceive the world from its noises, from its vibrations.
At a certain point in evolution, man understood the power of representing what his eyes saw, of fixing it forever, of being able to show it, of being able to communicate facts, events and thoughts. Music has probably followed the same path, reaching an expressiveness even superior to language, we have managed to communicate emotions .
The Evolution of Video, From Few to Many
From the first cave paintings of Cuevas de Las Manos to Stanley cambodia telegram data Kubrick’s film “2001: A Space Odyssey” the ride has been impetuous and exciting. Regardless of country, language, religion, age and social background, we have all learned that sight and hearing can captivate our mind, make us sad or happy or inspired, in infinite nuances.
The twentieth century has seen a succession of artists, musicians and filmmakers who have produced works of universal value, loved throughout the world, probably forever. This magic until recently was the prerogative of an elite. To make a film or produce quality music required pharaonic budgets and consolidated organizations.
In the mid-1960s, technology took a leap forward: the Super8 video camera . In the 1980s, everyone could have one. I remember my father hunched over the manual slow motion camera, cutting and pasting film, drawing stop motion introductions, enraptured by technological fever and delighted by our childish reactions to the projection. I realize now that it was still pioneer material.
Digital Revolution and Virality
Today we are in 2020; the digital evolution, which began in the late 50s, is at its maximum expression . Extremely powerful hardware at consumer prices and a proliferation of sophisticated software for video and audio editing have changed the rules of the game. Let's add to the recipe the consolidation of the Internet, the pinnacle of the fourth estate of mass communication.
As I write this, a 13-year-old boy somewhere in the world is using his smartphone to create and publish a video that will quickly capture the attention of thousands if not millions of people. That same boy will never achieve this by writing a blog post.
The point is this: clicking the play button on a video is an irresistible temptation . We are curious, we want to see. Plus we are alone with the screen, maybe with headphones to appreciate the audio well. We can get excited, we can let ourselves go, inspire. This is how things are fixed in the memory, with emotions.
