Death of the Originality: The Shift in Creativity

Everything we see nowadays in the media and other forms of art- whether in film, music, or visual art- draws often direct inspiration or includes layers of reference from earlier works. The concept of originality has seemingly become a relic, paving the way for an era of sampling, re-contextualizing, and remixing.However, this phenomenon reflects an immense shift in artistic expression: is there such a thing as original thought anymore, or is everything just a reference?

The term post-modernism is crucial in understanding this shift.In the late 20th century, thinkers like Jean Baudrillard and Roland Barthes examined the transition from an era focused on innovation to one centered on imitation, which they called 'pastiche. Baudrillard in his Simulacra and Simulation(1981) stated that we no longer interact with or experience the real world. Instead, we live in a world dominated by simulacra, which refers to the representations or imitations of things. He argued that originality or the ‘real’ is gradually fading away. As media and advertisements take over our perceptions, they start to define what we understand as real. Furthermore, the authentic becomes irrelevant in a world of hyperreality. In this context, ‘new’ art is just a recombination of old elements. The overwhelming prevalence of reboots, sequels, and remakes in Hollywood is a clear indicator of this trend, creating a culture where originality is no longer valued as highly as shareability and engagement. The idea of authorship itself is deconstructed, with companies taking the same raw material and reworking it into their own form. The central question that emerges from all of this is whether true originality is even searched for. Originality, in this sense, perhaps is less about creating something entirely new and more about the remixing style of its creator in new ways.

With the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence, people can now generate images, music, writing, and even videos based on simple inputs, raising questions about the future of human creativity. It greatly reduces human involvement in the creative process, turning art into a matter of ‘input’ rather than genuine craftsmanship. For the sake of affordability and simplicity, they sacrifice true artistic expression For the sake of affordability and simplicity, they sacrifice true artistic expression. As Miyazaki states, 'It is an insult to life itself.'