Affinity Sells Out to Creative Communism.
It's no secret that in recent years the rise of A.I. has been swiftly introduced into our everyday lives. Through smart phones and computers, societies have become so reliant on digital technology and the internet it's become almost impossible to function without them. With such wide use of the internet it's safe to assume that it has a huge influence on society and it could be argued that content providers have a responsibility to their users. However as big tech firms have grown in dominance is it fair that they hold the power to assert their will over society by dictating how information is shared.
The UK is a democratic society, where freedom of speech is a basic right and of fundamental importance. Yet, various social media platforms and tech giants have simply disregarded this basic right, introducing their own systems presented as a democratic solution to opposing views. Banning the use of certain words, making it possible to hide users comments, block profiles or even banning accounts, not only encourages cancel culture but has a huge influence on how society views the world, blurring the lines between a free democratic society and a controlled media state. These kinds of concerns have dominated my thoughts in recent times and as we are unwittingly sleepwalking our way into handing over and democratic rights and freedoms I fear we are reaching a point of no return.
As I feel strongly about this subject I have been following it closely for a while. Though I have always been cynical, for years I have buried my doubts and adapted to society. Like many others it wasn't until events during covid that the dormant instinct buried deep inside was roused from its slumber. Subsequent events thereafter, and events prior to this that I revisited, have been evaluated with a curious scepticism.
Though social media and tech platforms appeared innocently enough, and quickly became popular, it's become apparent to me that data and the development of new tech are now being used against people for profit and control. With the reach of the internet and the ability to promote content for the highest bidder, push politically motivated messaging and manipulate users, big tech, social media and online subscription services are overreaching and difficult to trust.
I have taken steps to oppose these concerns. Closing social media accounts, ending subscriptions and re-evaluating what I endorse in general. Online and off. One such application was my subscription to the Adobe creative suite. Studying illustration and having respect for the creative process and traditional methods I was already opposed to the arrival of A.I. generated images and software. When Adobe announced the arrival of Adobe Firefly, a new generative A.I. tool, it was disappointing, frustrating and demoralising. Adobe is a popular provider of creative software, used by millions of loyal customers, many in creative jobs that pay subscriptions for their services. The arrival of this new software felt like a betrayal. A direct threat to creative jobs. In my opinion a step towards cutting out the creative middle man entirely and the eventual full creative dominance. After all, what use would a human be if Adobe could create anything independently.
To oppose Adobe subscription and A.I. I invested in the Affinity applications made by Serif. Though these applications were lacking some features of Adobe applications, they are a strong alternative developed by an independent company. It felt like the perfect solution. However, it was short lived. After less than a year of switching to their product they have announced that Affinity is joining the Canva family. A design app that is subscription based that also boasts A.I. tech and image generation. In an email announcement sent by Affinity they mention “Canvas revolutionary approach to design democratisation”, but what is design democratisation? If anybody can do it, what is the point? I can only assume it's to dominate the market, profit, replace creative jobs and act as a one stop shop for creative content. That isn’t democratic at all. Affinity boasted its independent app and one off payment strategy supporting independent creatives but they sold out.
It’s nothing but creative communism.
Comments
Post a Comment