what are the signs? and “the attention economy”

In the late 90s, a young musician by the name of Jun Seba sat in an underground record store he opened himself named Guiness Records in Japan. Formally trained in Graphic Design and digital production, he makes the decision to start making music by releasing single remixes he made himself. 

Adopting the artist name “Nujabes”, Jun slowly began to integrate these singles into his own record store. He would press the vinyls by hand and then place them within the bins of the artist he remixed, with customers not knowing that the owner himself created these beats.

Many years later, after he was taken from this world too early, he would go on to be known as one of the most legendary hip-hop producers in the world. Mixing elements of jazz, rap, spoken word poetry, and hip-hop. Now referred to as the godfather of the modern genre “Lo-Fi Hip-Hop,” Nujabes garners millions of monthly listeners on modern platforms.

To describe the music is a challenge in itself. Distant and serene, melancholic yet hopeful, the use of hip-hop drum loops with the talented features of various rappers, jazz instrumentalists, and hip-hop icons brings you to a world that draws you in with meaningful lyrics and emotions.

In 2005, Nujabes collaborated with the artist Pase Rock for a song on the album “The Sign(feat. Pase Rock”. The song combines spoken word poetry with distinct foley sounds and a simple piano and drum accompaniment.

A small group of jazz musicians stands upon the stage in a ritzy club. Guests chat on as their drinks slosh around in their glasses, laughing and enjoying the world around them. 

Preparing to start their set, the singer in the jazz band clears his throat, preparing to cue in on the drummer and pianist. His hand rises and the soft melody of a piano begins, followed by the light loop of the drums.

The crowd doesn’t so much as flinch, encapsulated in their conversations, stuck in their own worlds. 

The jazz singer begins to speak; The drinks continue, the clank of ice in hard liquor drowns the words of the young musician.

𝅘𝅥 

You wanna watch it all fall apart?

Every time I walk I watch

I look, I notice, I observe

I read the signs

And the signs are pointing in the wrong direction

The signs are not naming the streets

Or leading you to the highways

The signs are naming names

Tombstones to mark the death of children not even born

And I don't mean abortion I mean what is to come

The signs are telling me to turn back around

The signs are telling me to research my past

The signs are telling me to learn from my mistakes

The signs are asking me questions

Do you wanna watch it all fall apart?

Do you have any control?

Is there anything that you can do?

Both of the previous examples are warning signs in the form of music that is used to convey a message to an audience. One talks about the complacency and lack of care from those listening. The other speaks on environmental crises such as global warming.

These “signs” as referred to by Pase Rock are no different from the stories and speculative futures we have seen through history. Yet with the times as there are, it feels as if the understanding of these signs is taken with less urgency.

Laughed off, seen as purely fiction, or denied their true meaning. We now turn these messages from the overtly political and raw to something entirely different. 

We cast them astray, alienize the concept. 

Even something with such surface level ideology such as the songs I’ve used as example can be twisted into something else with weaved narratives that suffocate the original meaning.

This is intentional, however. To live within a society where we are free to learn and consume as we please is a threat. There is nothing more dangerous to a government than differing opinions, the reason we do not truly live in democracy.

And so we arrive at the idea of “Media Literacy”. To give a simple definition of media literacy, it is the ability to view a story's intentions and themes critically and analyze the messaging dwelling beyond the surface level of the work.

Media literacy is a fundamental skill that allows any individual to view a piece of media and take from it the lessons and stories being conveyed. This is backed by the idea that all art, and media by extension, is made with intention. 

If media is “the signs”, “media literacy” is the language of understanding those signs.

And those signs are not vague, they tell the tale of the fall of an empire. Humorously we cast them aside,

“We are the greatest nation to exist at the greatest time in history. We are the exception.”

“The Attention Economy”

When people stop reading further into these signs and asking questions, the flames of curiosity are stamped out.

Commentary on complex political issues don’t change, but instead the people consuming choose to ignore in favor of segmented stories. Narratives dissected and turned into short form content. 6 second videos take over the internet.

So instead we adapt to that content, as designers and as people. We create advertisements with catchy colors and funny concepts. We explain that people do not care to look at our content for more than a few seconds, and we reinforce it.

In bed we lie** for hours, scrolling through unimaginably large repositories of digital content. Monotonous AI voices like the ferryman of the river Styx, as time folds in upon itself.

So much information travels to the brain in short periods that it becomes overwhelming. Stimulation becomes less effective. Now we need more. How about multitasking? You can watch 2 movies, play a game, and listen to music all at the same time!

On Tik-Tok, videos of complex topics are split down the middle with a person playing with sand. Dopamine becomes the new algorithm. “Satisfying” videos of someone cutting soap are paired with reports of a mass shooting in Florida.

People just don’t want to listen to someone talk about conflict anymore, instead they need their brain to be stimulated during it. Everything becomes faster, everything becomes consumerized, everything becomes splashed with vivid colors and catchy songs.

We are trapped in the attention economy. Our eyes gloss over as we stare at the screens that hold us prisoner.