I saw a bad movie Saturday night and I'm so thankful. I'm not thankful because of the acting or direction or some other element of the production redeemed the film. No, I'm thankful because all art exists as an opportunity to show us more about the human experience, God's creation, and one another. And, don't get me wrong, this film was terrible, but it still checks all the above boxes. And before get too far down the thought process, I won't be naming the movie, other than to say, it is nominated for multiple Oscars . . . go watch more movies. Even (especially?) the bad ones.
You can most certainly feel free to disagree with the following statement, but I ascertain that people are drawn together in a particularly unique way by shared experiences. Positive or negative. We all gather together for milestones like weddings and graduations. We all look back together (usually) fondly at trips whether they be excursions to a state park or longer getaways to far off places. There is a bonding experience to a shared experience by the very fact that is has mutuality. We were all in it together.
So the next time I meet someone who saw this particular film (which again I won't be naming to protect the guilty), I'll ask them a few preliminarily questions and then if I can sense their shared disapproval, we will share in one of the most unique of human experiences: joining together to laugh and commiserate at all the awful elements of this movie. And it will be wonderful. (If this comes to pass) that person and I will share a forever bond based on our shared experience. It will build us up and connect us.
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But, I fear a world is coming where this type of experience will no longer be possible (or increasingly hard to find). We are not too far off from a world of media personalization. For a long time, we have been able to channel surf our way away from our non-preferred content and this has only been heightened in the era of streaming, but with the rise of increasingly powerful artificial intelligence, we are headed for a world where entire narratives will have the ability to be tailored to our exact tastes.
It is not at all an exaggeration to say that five years from now, you and I might select the same series on Netflix, but have our individualized AI algorithms generate two completely different narratives for us.
I remember once going to see a film with a group of friends that had a small subplot about the occult and one person in the group had a strong distaste for anything involving that topic and as a result, she said the whole movie was ruined for her. We are fast approaching a future, where she could state that preference in a setting menu (or the algorithm would learn it for her) and that entire storyline would be removed from the movie. She could watch the film and have a completely different plot presented to her based on her predetermined preferences.
Do you only like happy endings? Done. They are all that will exist.
Would you prefer all your stories feature a protagonist who looks like your favorite actor? The AI can arrange that.
Do you want a total lack of complexity and for good and evil to be starkly defined? We'll hook you up!
You see, if everything can be carefully crafted to fit my preferred taste, not only am I being robbed of a diverse experience, but as I move about the world my connection with others will be forever altered.
I will admit this is an extreme example, but can you imagine if you and a friend both saw Schindler's List* post-AI and one of you said "Wow, that was inspiring!" and another said, "Um, I'm kinda depressed." Only to find out you've been served two different tones of film based upon your proclivities?
As we enter a new technological** era, it will be more important than ever to remember our humanity, to remember our individualization, and how it goes along with our shared experience of the world.
So, watch terrible movies and (tactfully) share your animus towards them with your friends! To do so is to be human!
*A friend of mine and I watched Schindler's List immediately before attending a graduation party, pictures still exist online of us at that party with forlorn faces surrounded by partygoers. Wild stuff.
**I misspelled this word and AI asked me if I wanted it to "Help me write?" I said no thanks. Just to help this broader conversation, I do use these tools multiple times a week, but when it comes to the arts, I'll be passing.
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