While much of this influence is benign, other aspects are quite malignant and even odious. There is nothing wrong with templates, clip art and stock photography as long as we do not rely upon them as our sole means of communicating. If they become a kind of TV dinner substitute for real production and invention or if they become a microwave dinner version of effective communication, then the short cut becomes the freeway and the mainline. An occasional fast food binge becomes standard fare and macro diet. The Big Mac becomes the only Mac in town.
Some clip art is pretty cool, but most clip art lacks soul.
Most fails any test of style or quality. Clip art cats, lions, people, dogs, cars and trucks are usually mere caricatures of their real selves. These clip art images usually fail to express the essence of an object or a being. Cats appear out of context as silhouettes and simple figures without a window or chair to sit in. Lions stand up proudly without grass or prey in the background to enhance their grandeur.