Dear Congress,

My name is Lexi Oliver and I am moving on behalf of the artistic

community across this country to abolish the ability to access
digitalized artistic content on the internet. While our ability
to access a variety of information almost instantaneously has
been seen as an advancement to our society, in the areas
surrounding the culture and diversity of art, the same does not
apply. Far less attention has been paid to the fact that the
internet has formally diversified us as a whole, meaning it has
transformed our society in a way that has deterred us from our
individuality. With everyone having access to all of the same
information, we are beginning to lose a sense of identity and
variety in our cultures. Because of this we are, collectively,
experiencing a downfall in the prestige and exclusivity that art
used to offer.

While for educational purposes it can be seen as beneficial, it

also possesses a variety of negatives that I believe outweigh
the positives. For example, it has changed the production means
of creative content. This takes away from the talent and gift
that used to be seen in an artist’s ability to create. It also
has made it to where the is no seemingly original creation of
art since all of the ideas, techniques, methods, and stories
have been told and seen before. Now that the internet has become
so omnipresent in our society, we have lost this protection of
originality and difference of art in different cultures. Which,
in turn, leads the status of novelty that the visual arts used
to represent to diminish as well as its sense of exclusivity and
uniqueness.

The economic market for the arts is also taking a hit by

allowing free access to digitalized art. Art galleries are
becoming a thing of the past as many traditional galleries are
no longer the core exhibition space for artists’ works. Instead
many galleries are venturing out and embracing an online market,
instead of the traditional means of presenting and selling art.
This is significant because, in the past, those who could afford
the luxuries of viewing or possessing art were seen as more
prestigious and lavish, but now that everyone has the same
access to viewing these works, the gap is closing. A digital
experience will never be able to surpass the experience of being
in the physical presence of a piece of art. Because of this,
many art enthusiasts, including myself, are unsure and very
uneasy about this new digital revolution that is taking place in
the art world because it is defying the set standard that art
has played in the culture and evolution of our world.

Throughout our evolution, art has served the purpose of

connecting us emotionally with others as well as ourselves. It
triggers and calls for a response. But now, can a digitalized
work of art have the same stimulating and visceral effect on our
emotions that physical pieces do? While it is very apparent that
technology is changing our culture and society as a whole, the
effects on our individuality are just beginning to come to the
surface.

For these reasons above, I believe that the internet’s influence

on the art world needs to be checked and the decision to allow
free digitalized artistic content, copyrighted or not, needs to
be reevaluated.

Thank you for your time,

Lexi Oliver