On Critiquing Media
Intro
Hello readers! This is something I’ve been thinking a lot about, and have wanted to write on this topic for some time. Criticism and how to do it, is something that seemingly no one talks about, and you can tell because there are many people who struggle to inform, and come from an emotional place where their points get garbled up by their incoherence. While this blog will be narrow in scope, focusing on media criticism, I do eventually want to talk about the nature of criticism at large, but that is for another time.
Discussing things online is essentially what the internet is best used for, in my opinion. People from all over the world can put their 2 cents in, and someone will probably come across those thoughts. Unfortunately, because everyone is given a platform, you’re bound to get those that spew a lot of hate and ignorance. To say that online criticism is exceedingly toxic is an understatement. It’s bad. Really bad. But it doesn’t have to be. This blog is about going over some important ground rules for critiquing. Following these rules will help you be clearer with your ideas and allow others to be more receptive as well.
Tough Love
I'll be breaking this down into a list for convenience, but a lot of what I'm writing here can and will probably be expanded on sometime in the future. I think once you understand the basics, you can also extrapolate more ways on how to voice your criticism and tailor your opinions to whom your talking to for maximum effect.
DO
Understand your opinion is not objective
This is so important, especially these days. People have always assumed their point of view is the objective truth, probably as far back as the beginning of human language. Here's the thing though. It's not. No one person has ultimate claim over reality (try as they might), and opinions should be expressed, and while some could be more or less informed, if doesn't render the other person's interpretations as useless.
Understand artists put a piece of themselves in their work
This is something I don't really see talked about. I guess because there are many who can separate the art from the artist, but I think what is important to realize is that the ideas your critiquing came from someone. Life informs art (and sometimes vice versa as well), and many times artists will reference real life experiences in their work to elevate it. This is all to show that if your criticism isn't packaged right, it's very easy to set someone off or get to a point where you're talking but not being heard.
It takes a lot of work to create something, even if it doesn’t resonate with you
This is an important point for me that gets ignored. Whether it's because there's so much content these days that people forget our they just don't care in the first place, but the point is simple. It takes a lot of time, effort, money, and people to create something. The least we can do as critics it's understand this and keep that in mind when we talk about something. Realizing that a person spent time creating something for others to experience, time which they will never get back, it's worth something. It takes a moment to criticize and bring down, but I can take hours, days months or years to build.
Take some time to formulate your thoughts before speaking
Simple, and often forgotten. This trip will probably do more for you in the immediate future and in life than the other ones. It's so simple: think before you speak. What do you want to say? Why are you saying it? Is the person in the right headspace to receive my words? These are some questions you can ask before you criticize to make sure your words actually make it to the other person. Think much more than you speak, and when you are ready to speak, take your time.
DON’T
Use inflammatory language
This seems obvious but it's really not. A lot of people speak emotionally and often speak with emotionally charged words. Using words like 'stupid', 'sucks', or anything of that nature is a surefire way to get the other person to stop listening or respond to what you're saying with the same kind of inflammatory language. After all, every action invites an equal and opposite reaction. While some people will be offended just by the notion of you wanting to critique or voice your opinion, if you must speak, don't invite extra drama to an intense situation. If someone simply doesn't want to hear your words, you're better off not speaking. Better to leave people in their thoughts than to argue uselessly with them. I speak for a ton of experience here. Don't do it. It's not worth it, will never be worth it, and it just gets you angry and frustrated. Save your energy for people who actually want to grow.
Dismiss the artists intention with their work
This is a very important point. When people criticize they tend to make it about themselves. "I think this is bad" or "I don't like that they did that". It may sound a little counterintuitive at first, after all you are criticising something, you would expect that your criticism should be about your opinions. That's all fine and good, but there are ways to elevate the discussion, and in return you'll get a richer dialogue. So instead of coming from a place of what your not happy with, try to see what the artist's intention was and critique what they could have done to push their idea further. I'll rewrite that for you with a little more emphasis:
Instead of coming from a place of what your not happy with, try to see what the artist's intention was and critique what they could have done to push their idea further.
This is healthy criticism, because you're putting yourself in their point of view, and showing them more options they could use in the future to improve their work, or have it resonate with more people.
Make the critique personal
This should be the most obvious one. You are critiquing the art, or idea, or method of delivery. Not the person. Criticism is already difficult to pull off well, so why make it harder on yourself. Regardless of whether the person is nice or mean, or anything in between, if you're taking about the art, keep it on subject, and make it as non-personal as possible. No personal attacks, disparagement, or emotionally volatile language directed at the person. Just don't do it.
Focus solely on the bad stuff
Lastly, when criticising people, it helps to pour in some compliments. No one really wants to hear all the things they did wrong or bad. Genuine (yes they should be genuine) compliments will help whomever you're talking to accept the criticism much easier. Along with that, there is very rarely a situation in which a person did everything so catastrophically wrong, that pointing out how bad they did something should be the only topic to talk about. Remember, people put time, and parts of themselves into their work. At the very least, it takes courage to put their work out into the open.
Outro
Criticism is an important part of being an artist, so a good artist will welcome good, well intentioned criticism. Good criticism should build and uplift. It helps get rid of issues the artist may not have seen, and allows them to put together a better project for the future. Bad criticism is destructive, serves to tear down someone else’s hard work without help in building it back up, and is a selfish act where you as a critic elevate your own opinion and feelings as truth, and to be served to by the artist. Bad criticism shouldn't be confused as someone overzealously expressing their opinion. Sometimes people can get excited when talking about their ideas, which is fine, so long as they are coming from a place of understanding.
Remember, it’s great to want to talk about the media we consume. Artists love it, especially if it makes you feel strongly, but there is a productive and counter productive way to criticize. Try these tips or let me know what you think. It's there anything you do to turn criticism constructive? I'd love to hear it. As always, catch you later.
