Technology has been ubiquitous in our lives, fueling innovations and reshaping industries. But today I wanted to talk about something close to my heart – the democratization of digital creation. This trend picked up good steam in the last year and I really hope it continues to do so in 2024.
Ease and accessibility are the main forces driving this revolution. With so many tools available, creating things has never been easier. Let it be an invite to a party that you don’t want to attend or an over-edited WhatsApp forward that makes your eyes roll – if one can imagine it, there’s a tool out there to help one create it.
These tools are not meant to replace real artists and designers, but to help them widen their horizons to newer skies and help newbies dip their toes into creativity for the first time. These tools have indeed skewed the efforts to output ratios, but they have also expanded the upper limit of what’s possible.
This reminds me of something Marshall McLuhan once said: “For every extension, there will be an amputation.” Loosely translated, in this context it means that every extension, tech-led or otherwise, enhances our capabilities and in turn changes our behavior and replaces our other inherent abilities. What we need to be careful of is making sure these extension-amputation exchanges are net positive equations for us.
For me, recent advancements in digital creation simply signify progress, inclusivity, and the power of innovation. What about you?