> If the best and the brightest of you are drawn to building addictive apps rather than making great journalism, important films, or literature that survives the test of time, will we as a society be ultimately impoverished?
The opportunity to create art still exists. Distribution channels are more varied now; they're more inclusive and perhaps (ironically?) less conducive to middle class salaries. But since when has creating art ever been about financial reimbursement? You're either creating or you aren't. The incentive exists for those that feel one, for those that have to create or go insane. If you "were going to be a novelist" but decided to be a programmer or an economist because you wanted to make money, well...
The opportunity to create art still exists. Distribution channels are more varied now; they're more inclusive and perhaps (ironically?) less conducive to middle class salaries. But since when has creating art ever been about financial reimbursement? You're either creating or you aren't. The incentive exists for those that feel one, for those that have to create or go insane. If you "were going to be a novelist" but decided to be a programmer or an economist because you wanted to make money, well...
In the words of Shia Labeouf: "just do it."