My Mind Unveiled: Witnessing a Digital Age

The Internet has allowed artists to put out their work to a large audience, receiving the attention they may not have gotten through old forms of media. This is especially the case when it comes to television and channels that are supposed to showcase music i.e. MTV. I always find it interesting to see or hear about an artist's opinion about the Internet and media, considering how beneficial it is when it comes to displaying or debuting their work. I was on YouTube and kept seeing a music video that was being advertised for a number of videos I watched. It was Digital Witness by St. Vincent, I'm familiar with and like her music so I decided to watch it because the title piqued my curiosity.

I watched the video while paying attention to the lyrics and decided to read them to make sure I understood what she was trying to portray. A lyric that stands out the most is "People turn the TV on it looks just like a window yeah" I believe she's saying that people take what's shown on TV to be real, which ironically reflects the popularity of reality TV programs. They are entertaining to watch but some people more often than not believe what they are seeing to be an extension of truth; however, I'm sure most people know the shows are most likely scripted. So why is there such an intense amount of fervor surrounding these shows? They are obviously entertaining, but could we go so far to say that the lives lived behind a screen a more real than the ones we're living?

There is a robotic feel in the music video that reflects the lack of autonomy represented in the lyrics and actions of the people presented. I'm sure she is also addressing the presence of computers in our lives and our fixation with them in this song as well. We talked in class about how the media or the Internet is not necessarily a bad thing; however, Annie Clark (St.Vincent) believes that's not the case. In the song she sings:

People turn the TV on and throw it out the window
Get back to your stare
I care, but I don't care
Oh oh I, I want all of your mind
Give me all of your mind
I want all of your mind
Give me all of it

The I and me in this song is her representing the digital media, whether it's TVs, computers or cellphones; basically any type of media outlet. She obviously feels the intentions behind our fixation with these outlets are taking away our agency since we're so dependent on them for not only information but also as a model for how our lives should be lived.

The funny thing is how I managed to see this video, not to mention how her fans are going to and the method of exposure her company is using to gather attention to this music video. Although I can't speak on her behalf, I think Annie Clark obviously feels the media is harmful when our dependency on it strays away from being a source of legitimate information and entertainment and bordering on being a source of emulation our lives and ideals should equate to. If this wasn't the case how ever would she put out her music and advertise it if it wasn't for the Internet? This goes back to McLuhan stating, "All media works us over completely," this music video is an accurate representation of that quote.