With such easy access to the past, can we keep moving forward?

Historically, the value of products depreciates from the moment it is purchased. Things degrade, they fall out of fashion, they become obsolete. Once society at large has discarded something,  it was expected to become worthless.

However, in the age of digital media, that which is old can find new life and appreciation. Will Straw, who Jenkins quotes, highlights that because of the massive access to information provided by the internet, the cultural weight of the past is more ever-present that ever before, because of its increased accessibility. Because of this easy access to information, the digital age has allowed for the "residual", to gain a foothold in today's landscape. The residual is that which has passed, but still lingers in the public memory, usually under-appreciated in its time, enough to become subject to nostalgia.

Raymond Williams coined the term "residual" to explain the phenomena of the recycling of pop culture, and I believe that now, more than ever, we are seeing the residual culture gain ground and relevancy in the cultural landscape.

When you're living in the present, life and culture at large is much more of a scrambled mess, with little time to take a step back look at whats happening in the grand scheme of things. When you're actually living in a time period, you don't gush about how great a time in your life it is, because you can't feel nostalgia for the moment you're actually living in. Those who actually lived in the 90's probably hated the 90's, just as we hate the age we are living in, but because we can look at a grander picture of the era, informed by multiple perspectives aside from those around us, we build romanticized narratives of what a simpler, better time the past was.

When I see a post on twitter, usually a romanticized video with music of the era and "innocent" teens, with the caption "I was born in the wrong generation" with heart eye emojis, I know I certainly don't wish I was born in that time period, I'd likely have gone to a segregated school and been beaten for speaking spanish like my grandfather.

I experience and create residual culture in my own life every day.

Outside of school, I am building a musical career, mainly oriented around sample-based beat-making, where I take elements of a song, typically an older one from decades ago, and repurpose the sound to make a new instrumental to be rapped or sang on. The marriage of modern hip hop and vintage soulful samples, I believe, breathes old life into the original source material, while creating an entirely new product of art. 

There has long been a debate about the ethics and business of sampled music. Should artists be allowed to profit off of music that they've ripped elements from? Is sampled music original? Does sampled music even deserve respect? I believe that sampling is in itself an art form, and both extends the life of the past while breaking new ground sonically.

Although it is certainly a debate to be had, whether or not the heightened appreciation for the culture of days gone stagnates the culture of the present, I believe that in many ways, adopting elements of the past plays a big part in creating original and interesting trends and ideas.

Another residual cultural phenomenon that has taken place recently is the popularization of vintage clothes, especially those from the 90's has made a massive impact on modern day youth culture.

Rap group PNTHN (friends of mine wearing vintage)

There's many cases to be made for buying vintage. Buying vintage clothes reduces the individual's carbon footprint, saves money, and makes for a more unique wardrobe. Buying vintage clothes, for today's youth, makes sense, we're broke, nostalgic, and terrified of our impending doom cause by man's stupidity.

Cross Duck

Another term of Williams that has played a significant, but smaller part in our culture is that of the Archaic, that which is recognized as a relic of the past, which is entire recognized as an element of the past, "no longer serving any recognized cultural functions".

Instagram and Twitter user Damien Kemph has built a large following by frequently uploading medieval art, which is often absurd and grotesque, along with comical captions , usually pertaining to the relatable, mundane aspects of life.

Making relatable memes out of graphic images showcases how internet humor can revitalize old, obscure art, giving new life to that which is so far removed from the culture of today, that no one could possibly have any true nostalgia for it, but it is still intriguing.  The Medieval art that Kempf posts should likely be largely forgotten, save for art curators and the niche audience specifically interested in the era, however, the absurdity of the images make them a perfect fit for meme culture, and because of social media accounts like Kempf's, these images will be remembered and enjoyed by a new generation, albeit in an entirely different context.