Neoliberalism, like 'postmodernism' and 'globalization', is a contemporary term that is used regularly in regards to economics, politics, culture and society. Like postmodernism and globalization, neoliberalism comes with a lengthy and sometimes variable definition. It is not easy to understand and it addresses a variety of issues underlying the direction in which Western society is moving. Neoliberalism today stands as the driving force for many policy-makers, technology developers, business people, economists, politicians, social workers and artists alike. There are also many people who are working to curve the strength of neoliberalism, striving to promote justice and equality that are sometimes slighted by neoliberalist policies.
Economic liberalism, simply stated, emerged from Enlightenment ideals and is traditionally attributed to Adam Smith. Classical liberalism is based on encouraging competitive markets through principles of comparative advantage, whereby each country or manufacturer within a country can specialize in the product they can trade for goods or dollars at the highest comparative advantage, relative to their competitors. This can lead to greater revenue and production in the economic system overall but can also increase the divide between the already rich and the already poor. Global expansion of economic markets means that today countries are literally competing in an international exchange of goods and services. In both micro and macroeconomic systems players who are commencing with valuable goods and services are at a significant advantage. Economic liberalism introduced the idea of a "free market" where liberal, fluid, and seemingly "free" trade is encouraged. Classical liberalism differs from neoliberalism because in its classical form individual freedom and entrepreneurship are encouraged without government interference, compared to the neoliberal form which has created a conception of the government's role as noninfluencial when, in reality, government policies push laws and legislation that perpetuate competitive values, self-interest and an acceptance that the market will run its own course even though there are deliberate players involved in market decisions.
Within neoliberalism competitive markets are being valued as the primary solution to economic hardships and this market structure is finding its way into educational policy, art and culture as much as it is into economic and political policy. Neoliberalism has seen an expansion of the free market beyond what it was in the time of liberalism's birth, it has led to a decrease in government accountability towards social interests and well-being, and to a sociocultural shift in public expectations about who is responsible for providing services and care for a nation's citizens (Apple, 2001). In contemporary Western society the "invisible hand" of the free market is promoted as being a stronger determinant for the future welfare of a nation than are government agencies. One might go so far as to equate neoliberalism with economic determinism, allowing the unstoppable forces of the market economy to determine the progression of society. According to Mark Olssen (1996) the changes that have occurred with the shift from liberalism to neoliberalism have resulted in,
a [social] shift in subject position from 'homo economicus', who naturally behaves out of self-interest and is relatively detached from the state, to 'manipulatable man', who is created by the state and who is continually encouraged to be 'perpetually responsive'[to the state]...The state will see to it that each [citizen] makes a 'continual enterprise of ourselves'...in what seems to be a process of 'governing without governing' (p.340).
Olssen's words are intriguing because they suggest that neoliberalism has created a system of manipulation, a system that is ironically controlled by "public" (media) or government agencies. Noam Chompsky's book, based on the CBC Massey Lecture Series in 1988 titled Necessary Illusions (2003), similarly discusses thought control through what he calls North American "democratic media". Academics of our time are aware of the process of manipulation and lack of transparency in both government and private industries, who may be pulling the strings in Western society's theatrical rendition of equality, democracy and freedom of thought. For a review of 'neoliberlism' please see www.wikipedia.org or Susan George's article titled "A Short History of Neo-Liberalism".
Neoliberalism, Visual Culture and Technology
Although many individual ideals may differ from those of the competitive market it is inevitable to exist in North America and not work within or be effected by neoliberal frameworks. This system of competition, self-interest, private investment and monetary value supports our way of life and finds its way into cultural and artistic movements as much as into political or economic ones. Some aspects of our visual culture are propagated by images that will sell money-making products or industries and in some way perpetuate the capitalist cycle. Media imagery largely support neoliberal structure through corporate advertising, popular television and "blockbuster" films whose primary focus is financial profit. Controversial programming with closer-to-real representations of North American society are often pulled off the air, while shows representing uniracial, middle-to-upper class environments, like Friends or Seinfeld, top the popularity charts. Why are these programs so popular? In part, it may be due to audience interest, although audience interest may also be the result of a population taught by the media to adhere to mindless escapism, idealized in the socioeconomic comfort zones of white, middle-to-upper class standards of living geared towards supporting advertisement. What are the effects of seeing primarily these types of lifestyles on television on a daily basis, even though they may be drastically different from our own realities? Who is controlling the release and broadcasting of these visual and mixed media displays and what is their purpose?
Neoliberal structure parallels, or perhaps creates, the need to purchase material objects in order to achieve an adequate state of happiness, promoted through and by the visual culture around us, and supported by popular culture and media representation. New technology, cellular telephones, computers, mp3 players, architecture, art and design are often geared towards meeting contemporary standards of production with purchasing power, developing rapidly in order to push consumers to spend money on the ever changing creations. In an effort to appeal more to the general public design is becoming a greater part of technological development. Along side of design, art has also changed its shape with the culture it lives in. Artists like Char Davies are using new technology to push the artistic experience to a new level, exemplifying one of many positive movements emerging from competitive markets. Competition has led to technological leaps over the last half-decade, exemplified through virtual reality, artificial intelligence, robotic engineering and the Internet. The Char Davies installation is a virtual reality creation allowing the user to briefly exist in a created visual world, presented through a compilation of photographs, mapped by season or geographic location, and reacting to the users breath. Osmose and Ephémère do not only instigate an emotional reaction but allow for an actual experience guided by the artist's created succession of images. The cost of a project like this is high, making ongoing accessibility a problem, but then this continues to be as true of traditional art as it is of multimedia art. The Gates, an installation by Christo and Jean-Claude, was exhibited in New York City's Central Park during the winter of 2004-2005 and was a multi-million dollar one-time project. The Gates certainly increased tourist revenue in Manhattan during their display, and rightly so as the saffron coloured gates against the snow covered paths of Central Park was something to be seen. The artistic value of these projects is clear but the financial investment required for their creation and the question of who is able to access these displays is not without complication.
Both traditional and multimedia artistry are now at least partly accessible to the public on an ongoing basis through reproduced Internet imagery. However, Internet usage is still limited to people with access to the Internet and to people with knowledge of how to use the Internet. This limitation often neglects many parts of the Global South and lower-income Western communities. Analyzing the cost and benefits of new technology is a difficult task. Indeed there are many medical, social and cultural advantages that have emerged from new technology. The sharing of cultures and ideas through information and communications technology has aided social advancement in a number of ways, allowing people around the world to work together without physical presence. However, there are limitations to economic and technological globalism and they are limitations that seriously effect the lives of all people, especially of those people living in poverty. Is it valuable to spend millions of dollars on an art exhibit when there are millions of people living below the poverty line? Do the people within a society create the culture or is the culture being created by the benefactors of the imagery propagated through new media and new media arts? Whose "best-interest" is at stake?
Neoliberal structure, visual culture and technology are deeply intertwined. To negate the benefits of technology and competitive markets would be hypocritical while using a computer, in heated home, wearing glasses and listening to music on a portable mp3 player. The ability to search out pictures of places never seen or information about cultures never met invites the possibility of infinite positive social usage of technology today and tomorrow. The question remains as to how or if technology will move in that direction and who will be responsible for its progress, ensuring that humanitarian values are not lost in our rapidly advancing technological and neoliberalist society. The role of art and visual culture is closely linked to technology, development and economics and it is the unclear relationship between these influential social factors that requires continued exploration.
Photograph by Marissa Liu © 2006