Dopamine

Lately I’ve found it increasingly difficult to check out new music.

This failure to launch is not confined to music, however. Movies and TV shows that are unwatched by me are often increasingly tough to get into. I’m not consciously afraid of being let down by something I won’t like, but I no longer derive the same enjoyment from the experience of listening to a new artist or watching a new movie – until I press play.

I believe this is a byproduct of our technology-centered culture. The need for more content, better content, quicker content, has taken over my experiences as a consumer. Perhaps as the content-driven mentality spreads, it begins to hijack its host’s brain, making first experiences (checking out a new record or a movie) somehow less appealing. Since the old stuff is practically guaranteed to be great, that’s what gets consumed.

I’m so incredibly tired of the constant need for more content, better content, quicker content – content that I know I’ll like before I even give it a chance (the irony that I am creating content for you right now is not lost on me). If you’re experiencing this too, I hope we can both try something new this week, to curb the sprite of monotony.

Guest Blogger: Sam Mooradian Creative and Dormant Audiophile

Make your heart bleed! Put your soul into that damn thing. And try new things.

— Darrell Abbott