Are you, like me, puzzled to learn that Popular Science magazine recently shut down comments on its website, declaring that they were bad for science? Are you amazed, like me, that Duck Dynasty
is the most-watched nonfiction cable show in TV history? Are you
dismayed, like me, that crappy Hollywood films about comic book heroes
and defunct TV shows have taken over every movie theater? Are you
depressed, like me, that symphony orchestras are declaring bankruptcy,
but Justin Bieber earned $58 million last year?
...Ortega couldn’t have foreseen digital age culture, but he is describing
it with precision. He would recognize the angry, assertive tone of
comments on web articles as the exact same tendency he identified in
1929. He would understand why Yelp reviews have more influence than the
considered judgments of restaurant reviewers. He would know why Amazon
customer comments have more clout than critics in The New Yorker. He
would attend an angry town hall meeting or listen to talk radio, and
recognize the same tendencies he described in his book.
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