"There was always one chief difference between popular or high culture and commercial culture. The former, even at their crassest and most profit-driven were meant to be enjoyed disinterestedly. Whether you were watching a play by Sophocles, or attending a concert by the Beastie Boys, or reading a book by Danielle Steel, you had no material interest in what held your interest. You were in the experience for the pleasure that comes either from high art's absorption of your attention or from popular art's gifts of diversion. In both cases, you were briefly sprung from the daily pressures of self-interest. You laid yourself and your ego aside, in one degree or another.
"Commercial culture, on the other hand, is all about the gratification of your self-interest, and it involves the total engagement of your ego. The success of a commercial transaction lies in your ability to 'project [yourself] into the scene' of the transaction. Assertiveness, initiative, full participation in every aspect of the deal that has a bearing on your self-interest — those qualities are what carry the day for a buyer or seller, not passive enjoyment of the situation unfolding before you. At the heart of a successful work of art, high or low, lies something wholly fresh and other, some type of original experience. At the heart of a successful transaction is the satisfaction of your self-interest — at the heart of a successful transaction is you.
"With the rise of participatory culture, pop culture has entirely merged into commercial culture. Enchantment of the imagination has given way to gratification of the ego; vicarious transport out of yourself has given way to . . yourself. It's not just YouTube that's about 'you' in this new order of things. It is every cultural experience that is about 'you.' Welcome to the Youniverse. Welcome to the world of the Internet.”
