Clip thinking as a phenomenon of the digital age: a philosophical analysis of the transformation of popular music

Introduction. From the point of view of the philosophy of education, students have a clip type of thinking, which has a negative impact on their ability to holistic, reflexive and narrative thinking. We attribute this to the changing ways and speed of information consumption in the digital age, leading to anthropological shifts in human perception and thinking. In this article, the authors consider popular music as a kind of such information. Problem statement. The purpose of the study is to identify and substantiate the structural changes in popular music influenced by the clip perception of the audience. Methodology and research methods. The object of the research is the influence of clip thinking on the transformation of forms of mass cultural consumption. The subject of the research is the philosophical aspects of changes in the nature of cultural perception and reflexive abilities in the professional education system. The authors hypothesize that the content of popular music reflects its adaptation to the clip perception of the audience. The main research methods are materialistic, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, and statistical analysis. The metrics of streaming services used are the average track length, the length of the track to the first vocal, the structural density and the speed of change of sections, simplification of harmonic and melodic structure. The sample size for the survey was 143 respondents. Results. The analysis of scientific publications shows the positive and negative characteristics of clip thinking. Popular music reflects its inherent cognitive practices. Considering it from the point of view of the ontology of actor-network theory, we note that the time of the works has become perceived as non-linear, the affect event is the replacement of narrative with instant emotions, playlists of streaming services resemble networks, instead of the hidden meaning of the work, its depth, surface effects are offered. Our statistical analysis of respondents’ ratings of music tracks confirms the noted structural changes in popular music consistent with the patterns of clip thinking. There are correlations between the rate of appearance of the motif, the structural compactness of the work, and the dynamism of development. The authors proved the influence of the respondents’ age on musical preferences and behavioral patterns, as well as significant differences in holistic orientations in the perception of music by professional groups. The conducted empirical research complements the theoretical achievements of scientists. The authors proved the need to form a hybrid form of thinking that combines fragmentary perception, narrative thinking, the use of system analysis and deep reflection skills. Conclusion. Clip-style perception should not be viewed exclusively in negative terms. On the one hand, it serves an adaptive function under conditions of information overload; on the other, it may constrain the depth of material comprehension. The study confirmed the hypothesised relationship between the transformation of structural parameters in contemporary musical production and the specific features of audience perception. The observed changes are multifaceted and hold relevance both for philosophical inquiry and for pedagogical practice, underscoring the need to revise educational approaches in the digital   environment.

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