Cultural prestige is associated with political and economic power. China and Britain had established traditional high cultures largely due to (1) their historical dominance over much of the world; (2) the fact that learning to speak the language of the elites was important to advancing within society.
America is the new super-power, with a high culture that is influential across the world.
Apart from the internet and platform effects, the trend is likely to only to exacerbate further in the future:
-
There used to be an expectation that leaders of the community should be versed in its traditional high culture. One thinks of Sir Humphrey in Yes Prime Minister. But expectations are changing. The Zeitgeist emphasises innovation, and holds up tech billionaires as prime examples of “impact” and success. Unlike patron of the arts in the Renaissance, these tech billionaires generally do not display a deference to high culture. Perhaps the day will soon come where a prime minister will openly confess a lack of interest in Shakespeare.
-
An interest in traditional high cultures will survive within pockets of the community. But its status now is little different from many other subcultures that flourish on the internet. The day and age where they served as a common language among the wealthy and the privileged are over.
The exception which proves the rule is the technology-driven literature from the Silicon Valley (e.g. on Hacker News).
Everyone wants to read (or claim to read) Paul Graham, Gwern Branwen, and Dwarkesh Patel. And unlike mere sub-cultures, engaging with these materials may bring both prestige and material reward: it matters beyond mere admiration of fellow enthusiasts whether the reader gets it right or wrong.
In this sense, this Silicon Valley literature is the Tang poetry or Greek and Roman Classics of our times: a difficult subject that actually matters.