Oct 06 2010
Week 6 Response Questions
1. In response to my first question, I believe that consumers turn into producers when they are able to take it and turn it into an item that is different from the original works context. In today’s culture, which supports amateurization, I believe that computers and the Internet provide users a new sense of manifest destiny that needs to be explored, and which enhances users creative inspirations. Many artists, like DangerMouse and GirlTalk, are able to take what is already available and use these new devices. They are able to develop new meanings and produce new perspectives within use of the original pieces and are able to juxtapose them on different mediums and/or in new ways. Therefore, I do believe that these artists are not imitators, but however are indeed radicals. They attempt to step out of the boundary lines, and rather than simply absorbing a piece of work, they take it and attach deeper levels of meaning or a new spin on it. Hence, you now see many parodies and play-offs of pop culture now on YouTube and other various outlets. You know have writers using similar characters and plots to develop stories like “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” by Seth Grahame-Smith that incorporate other elements from other genres. Personally, I find it inspiring that constant development can spawn on not just the “original” themes and ideas, but from the cycle of itself. I believe that allowance of creation that can occur with use of other’s original works speaks something about freedom of ideas and innovation.
2. My second question is in regards to younger generations and the RW culture. Although our culture is becoming more and more a Read/Write culture thanks to the Internet, I do believe that there are some users out there that use the Internet for other purposes that stray away from this RW culture. I guess this can go for any mediums source in retrospect. It’s all in how you use it. Although the Internet gives access to billions of people, it is also used for purposes other than those prescribed by the RW culture. Many people, especially younger generations, are still just passive consumers of RO culture on the computer. Lessig statistics state that most teenagers spend more time playing games and using a computer for leisure purposes rather than informational purposes. Luckily, through increasing interactivity on websites that are being produced more and more today, I am hoping that these statistics will change. Younger generations require a significant amount of stimuli to stay interested. So as news sources and websites begin to produce more interactive content in this developing digital age, I am hoping that younger generations will take more of an interest in partaking in the RW culture by becoming active creators, whether it be in video production or blogging. Especially, considering that the Internet has made it easier to develop content as an amateur in a field.
3. In response to my third question, I feel that people would not want to move from an “All Rights Reserved” copyright to a Creative Commons “Noncommercial” license because that would take away the monetary gain component that people need in this market based society. Many people still want the ability to own and sell their ideas. In an ideal world the “gift economy” supported by the noncommercial license would be optimal, but it is not fathomable in the real world where markets override. A balance, however, would be in need. I do agree with Lessig that if more people knew about the Noncommercial license, there may be more works out there that would be available to the general public. This, would then, hopefully inspire more creational works. For example, I didn’t know about the Creative Commons licensed works until just last week. I’m not sure if I’m just out of the loop or why this is exactly. Therefore, if there is a reasoning behind this, then it needs to be explored in detail so more people have the opportunity to use this and institute more of a “sharing-type economy”, as Lessig says.