Thursday 29 August 2013

Songlines of the Virtual Network


Soundcloud, the social network of creating and sharing music is heavily influenced by Western culture. Firstly, it was created in Germany (Soundcloud, 2013). Furthermore, a high percentage of the music on Soundcloud can be identified as Western music. However, Soundcloud is very global, with many artists from around the world sharing their music, their stories and their character. The main source of communication found on Soundcloud is music. I view music as the universal language of the world in which emotions, memories, stories and our perception of the world can be shared through sounds. 

The songlines of Indigenous Australians were used as a reference or map for travelling the country, revealing and following the footprints of their ancestors and ultimately allowing the people to perceive their country or place. It was used as a form of communicating the travels of the people, referencing landmarks and totems to map out routes for future generations (Chatwin, 1987). Similar to the Aboriginal songlines, modern music can communicate the stages and journeys one takes in life. Soundcloud allows me to broadcast my narrative on a diverse network that consists of many cultures and subcultures, and helps map out my journey in life and my perception of my place in space.






References

Chatwin, B. (1987). The Songlines. London, England: Johnathan Cape Ltd

Soundcloud (2013), About us. Retrieved from https://soundcloud.com/pages/contact

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