Is there a national cultural identity in a Facebook world?

An interesting article originally titled "Is there an Australian culture in a Facebook world?" published to-day in the Sydney Morning Herald could even more appropriately be entitled "Is there a national culture identity in a Facebook world?"

Illustration: Simon Letch

CULTURE and creativity are central to life in the 21st century. The global stakes have never been higher; never before have we been surrounded by so much information or so much art - high and popular, visual and aural, original and reproduced, amusing and challenging, bland and exciting.

In cities the world over, tribes are instantly recognisable irrespective of country of origin, defined by the beautifully designed objects of consumer capitalism they wear and carry, the entertainment they download, the food and drinks they consume, the news they absorb. Spotting anything uniquely Australian in this wash of global brands is harder than recognising the distinctively laidback style of Australians abroad.

Resources may fuel the economy but Rupert Murdoch is arguably Australia's greatest export - his company has learnt how to sense and shape the public mood and follow the logic of the market to make billions from it. News Corporation's creative output is one of the great cultural arbiters of the world.

Our stars of stage and screen are also instantly recognisable, selling magazines, clothes, perfume and other products of luxury goods conglomerates, on the back of their prodigious talent.

But Australia's place in the global village should not be allowed to rest on the well-toned shoulders of these talented individuals, or the profitable self-interest of News Corporation. The best of our ingenuity and traditions need to be deployed to carve a global cultural and creative space that is distinctive, innovative and true to what we are.

Otherwise we may become invisible, or simply an echo of others.

The creative industries have snuck up on Australia. It comes as a surprise to many to be told that they represent the same proportion of the economy as agriculture. The symbolism of this should not be underestimated. Both agriculture and the creative industries nurture and sustain; they are both sources of innovation and entrepreneurism, shaped by individual passion, shrewd corporate decisions and strategic public-sector support.

Both help define what it means to be Australian.

The creative industries - ranging from the arts to media, architecture, fashion, games, film, publishing, broadcasting and design - are rarely discussed as a sector. Yet they employ tens of thousands of talented and well-educated Australians. They are also the face of the nation abroad - from the giant rusted pavilion at the Shanghai Expo and indigenous art at the Musee du quai Branly in Paris to sunny soaps on countless cable channels and the best of news, sport and drama on our international television service, Australia Network.

In a world dominated by popular culture, the arts are increasingly significant.

Great, timely and innovative works of art are also important on their own terms. They fill cultural institutions, bring performing arts venues and galleries to life, provide a tool to aid social cohesion, communicate important ideas and create a product which can be sold here or abroad - a book, CD, DVD, painting, ticket, game or object.

In Australia, despite widespread and increasing public support and engagement with the arts, there is a lingering perception that they are an optional extra rather than an essential component of a contemporary nation, with tangible economic and social benefits. This perception casts artists as applicants and supplicants rather than as serious contributors to national wellbeing. It regards arts funding as discretionary, rather than as an investment in cultural innovation and resilience, or strategic industry development.

This perception is increasingly without foundation as the creative industries demonstrate their economic, strategic and social value. The arts are great multipliers.

A quick survey of countries with a global cultural presence reveals that this does not happen by accident or thanks to the market alone. France became a global cultural capital deliberately and with tangible economic and social benefits. The US, Spain, Denmark and Italy applied this lesson with remarkable success. Closer to home, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan are among the countries deliberately putting a distinctive stamp on the global digital culture.

Invariably this is built on strong local traditions, strategic government intervention in response to visionary agendas and public sector investment combined with private sector initiative and opportunism. Australia's history of a genuinely mixed, public and private economy, gives it the framework for such initiatives. Our wariness of visionary agendas makes us more cautious than we need to be - the message we have to sell of a cosmopolitan, innovative and democratic culture is one that the world is hungry to hear.

In times of rapid change, the arts and creative sector are crucial to making sense of social and economic transformations. The former president Georges Pompidou encouraged the collection of modern art to help the French understand the postwar world, and in the process created a gift for the world in the gallery named for him.

As the global knowledge economy grows, industries based on the arts, information and sciences will become even more significant. Imagining and making sense of the present and the future require a particular genius, combined with the technical, creative and managerial skills to bring it to life.

As the former prime minister Kevin Rudd once observed: ''This false divide between the arts and science, between the arts and industry, between the arts and the economy: we've actually got to put that to bed … Our ambition should be to create and to foster a creative, imaginative Australia, because so much of the economy of the 21st century is going to require that central faculty.''

The importance of research scientists is well understood. Sophisticated, well-resourced and structured programs nurture their development and support their output. We need to think of those at the heart of the creative and cultural industries in a similar way: unique individuals with highly specialised skills, knowledge, discipline and talent, who generate new ideas and new ways of understanding and representing us to the world.

There is a need to find fresh ways to support the output of individual artists who are creating new work. As the recent report on the future of arts funding, New Models New Money, argued: ''These artists are the research scientists of the creative economy. In time their work will fill theatres, cinemas, galleries, bookshops and countless digital devices. But their influence will extend further - impacting on the education curriculum, delivery of healthcare, the design of public and private spaces and the way Australia is perceived internationally.

''Both scientists and artists have an important contribution to make to public policy and commercial enterprises - some of which we have scarcely begun to imagine.''

The report showed that support for individual artists had fallen, and that this is now having a detrimental impact on the resilience of the sector. Also, there is a need for new funding models to encourage and reward innovation and excellence, and to capitalise on the investment already made in institutions and education.

For many years the bulk of public funding for the arts has been directed to film and broadcasting, mediums that reach the largest audiences. This public investment has also spawned strong industries and created the opportunity for talented individuals to find a place in a local and global industry.

We are on the cusp of major change. The internet is transforming the globe. In this new world, information is more readily available than ever before, and there is an expectation of openness, communication and access. Governments have responded by massively increasing their expenditure on international broadcasting, supplementing this with innovative online communication in a new age of public diplomacy, to communicate their values directly. Australia Network, combined with ABC online, is a beacon of Australian culture abroad - a showcase of the best of the country's creativity and values.

In a global environment, the creative industries are able to capture the unique nature of a society and communicate it to the world. This goes beyond global news reporting on a continuous loop to a fuller expression of national character.

Globalisation has become a tangible reality with a human face, as Facebook rewrites the political rulebook and changes the way we relate and communicate. The significance of this can be judged from two numbers: 9 million Australians have a Facebook page and just over 13 million are enrolled to vote.

Facebook and its toolbox of digital technology are also making it possible for more people to explore, express and find audiences for their creativity, unleashing and revealing the creativity of thousands of people. Just as Triple J's Unearthed competition has found great new bands, this is likely to be replicated in the multimedia online world, and reach a global market.

Much has been written about how this is changing the relationship between creators and audiences, and undermining many long-standing business models - in music, journalism and film. This is threatening for many but is unlikely to be unsurmountable; new models will emerge and excellence will still be rewarded.

In the meantime, it is presenting exciting new possibilities for individuals, organisations and nations that are able to create exemplary new works, and package them with skill to forge new markets.

For this to be realised in all its forms, there is a need for the creative industries to be taken seriously as one of the pillars in both the future economy and public diplomacy. Australia has built strong institutions, robust, entrepreneurial and competitive industries, and nurtured talented creative workers and artists. This needs to continue and be supplemented with innovative approaches to public support.

There is a need for national leadership to begin a conversation about the way Australia can use the wealth it is generating from the resources boom to create and foster a global identity richly endowed with cultural and creative meaning. Just as the wealth of the 19th-century gold boom planted the seeds of modern Australia, the key beneficiaries of this boom should be encouraged to use it as a platform for innovation and creativity that extends beyond the intrinsic value of the works produced and the economic, social and community benefits that accrue from them.

Wise investment in this sector will pay big dividends, develop human capital, create new work, foster a cohesive society and help explain what it means to be Australian to the world.

In the galloping pace of globalisation, this window of opportunity will not be open for long. Miss it and we could become invisible.

Julianne Schultz, an author of the report New Models New Money, is a member of the ABC board and editor of Griffith REVIEW.