Lyotard Commentary

“Eclecticism is the degree zero of contemporary general culture: one listens to reggae, watches a western, eats McDonald's food for lunch and local cuisine for dinner, wears Paris perfume in Tokyo and 'retro' clothing in Hong Kong; knowledge is a matter of TV games. It is easy to find a public for eclectic works.” Jean-Francis Lyotard

I feel that Lyotard is commenting on the effect of the global market upon socialization. He was a pioneer in the developing Postmodern world. The Cold War in its industrialist nature, seem to have shaped much of his disposition for ‘universality’. The introduction of the internet software information systems presented wealthy capitalist groups with new and uncharted ways to exploit the masses. Corporations had the novel opportunity to organize and push subliminal metanarratives among the airwaves. He paints a picture of technological dominance, very reminiscent of the rather new fear of AI (Skynet). Lyotard predicted human susceptibility to the digital long before the arrival of terrifying AI like Microsoft’s Tay or the Chinese bot XiaoIce. 

Failed AI experiments while terrifying are far less threatening to global social wellbeing when compared to aggressive marketing. As global citizens we are currently held far closer to whims of those that wish to push eclecticism by the computers in our pockets.

In each individuals’ search to be just that, individual, many fall prey to the siren song of marketing. Bombarded with constant advertising messages, millions choose to present the life they wish they had instead of the one they have. It is easy to select an avatar to play the high stakes digital game, it takes for more soul-searching to confront individual characteristics. In order to cope with the (wo)man in the mirror, these marketing messages help us cope with the strain of increasing electronic involvement. In this way, eclectic tastes are an easy target for