An Exploration of the Mechanisms of Legal Cultural Formation for Artists through the Lens of the Neganthropocene.

In Japan, professional wrestler Hana Kimura tragically took her own life after facing severe online harassment while appearing on a reality TV show. International reports framed the incident as an inevitable consequence of reality television’s inherent connection to social media bullying, often driving participants to mental illness or suicide. However, while much of the discourse focused on the dangers of social media, the role of major broadcasting companies and their contractual relationships with the participants received little public scrutiny. In many cases, large broadcasting companies impose unilateral and favorable contracts on young, inexperienced participants. This imbalance sparked outrage among filmmakers and actors, leading them to advocate for better working conditions and protections for vulnerable actors and other industry professionals.

This phenomenon is not new. Historically, artists, though not legal experts, have actively contributed to the establishment of welfare systems to protect their industries and communities. For instance, composer Felix Mendelssohn, who founded the Leipzig Conservatory in 1843, had already introduced a welfare system for the members of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra during his tenure as conductor eight years earlier. Similarly, literary figures such as John Milton, Daniel Defoe, Alexander Pope, and Victor Hugo were instrumental in advocating for the legal protection of authors' rights.

The question then arises: how have these artists, dedicated to preserving the rights of their communities, come to engage with the law? And in what ways does the cultural particularity of each community resonate with the challenges of the Anthropocene era? This study will explore these issues through the lens of philosopher Bernard Stiegler's concept of the 'Neganthropocene.'