Freewrite: Remix Culture

Brett Gaylor’s film, “Rip! A Remix Manifesto” causes the audience to take a stance on remix culture: does it cross the lines of intellectual property? or is it simply an innovative form of creativity? 

In my blog, I am going to attempt to answer the questions and controversies that remix culture poses. I felt that Brett Gaylor’s film did an accurate job at portraying that those who are in opposition to “remix culture” are “the bad guys” and solely seek to suck the fun and creativity out of our modern culture. The film made me admire artists such as Radiohead and Girl Talk and countries such as Brazil who are proponents of remixing and downloading and sharing music without severe government regulation. 

Although I am a fan of remix culture, I feel that a a friend of mine is  more of an expert because he is an avid fan of promoting mash-up artists. He recently told me that he cannot go back to listening to regular music, because he has taken such a liking to mash-ups. He says he’s a regular user of web sites that allow him to post songs of his favorite mash-up artists and finds security in the network of other peoples blogs who share a similar passion. The first remix he first fell in love with was Randy Boyer’s “Disarm” and he describes it as an epic rock ballad combined with an electro base that gives the lyrics a new emphasis and energy that would not have been brought into existence if the ability to remix did not exist. He is a fan of not simply electro mash-ups but jazz and rock compilations. He recommended a second song that combined the famous lyrics of Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World” and the haunting sound of Radiohead’s guitar. “This song intertwined Louis Armstrong’s message with a deeply reflective radio bass, that slowly builds to truly express and further the desire of emotional response of the listeners-- that wouldn’t be made possible without a very contemporary, reflective edge provided by Radiohead” he told me. It bothers him that this type of movement can be associated with hard drug use and raves, because he simply loves the sound and does not engage in the activities that are commonly associated with the music. He showed me the link to his blog that has different mash-ups on it and encouraged me to post the link here because it brings attention to the remix artists and promotes the growth of this movement:

http://hypem.com/jgpiacentini

 Hearing an individual speak with such a passion about mash-ups, I could never doubt that the presence of remix culture within our society should be acknowledged as it’s own art form and a definite possessor of creative integrity.

I think that the greatest part about remix culture is that it embraces the dawn of technology. Anyone can become their own DJ, and the internet gives everyone this opportunity. It can be compared to the 70’s when everyone learned to play the guitar and then there was a huge influx of people who had rad guitar skills. If you hinder people’s creativity, you don’t realize that you could potentially eliminate different forms of art and music--whether it be great guitarists or artists like “Girl Talk”. Fifteen years ago a list of the 100 greatest DJ’s could not be made because it didn’t exist. Now music that could have gone unheard, is spreading because of the growth of technology. It has enabled an entire culture of remixing. I’m fascinated by remix culture because anyone and everyone can put their own spin on it; even me, if I were so inclined. But for now, I’ll just continue listening to Girl Talk and spreading the word about Gaylor’s film.

The Social Network

Here is a link to the preview of the movie “The Social Network”: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53OUHupfqws

I suggest you all watch it. If you don’t have time to see the movie, I highly recommend you at least watch the trailer. For one thing, I think it is extremely creative, but also very relevant to our class. In 2 minutes and 31 seconds it captures the triumphs, destruction, and controversies, that could be potentially caused by social networking sites; in this case the creation of a SNS site, Facebook. In my blog, I am going to focus on the effects of the preview, rather than on the movie itself because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone!

As soon as I saw the preview, I became immediately convinced to go see the movie. The preview for “The Social Network” did an excellent job at captivating it’s audience to go see the movie without spoiling any of the plot--which I feel a lot of movies fail to do these days. The graphics of facebook were familiar to me, the remix of the Radiohead song was creative and relevant, and I was also attracted to gaining knowledge about  what led up to creating this site that took up so much of my time. I soon realized that I was not the only one who shared this enthusiasm for “The Social Network” preview. Some face to face communication with friends illustrated they had a similar liking for it as well, but when I went to re-watch it on YouTube I became aware of some CMC communication that demonstrated the same thing. One individual was perhaps more enthusiastic than I was about it, saying “Perhaps the best trailer ever. I watch it over and over there is something hypnotic about it.” I also agreed with another person’s post and thought they worded their favor of the rendition of “Creep” in an eloquent manner: “Several of us have said that the rendition of Creep has thus been offed. I disagree. I watched this trailer a few days after seeing the film and I find it moving. The choice of any other set of lyrics may have jeopardized the obvious aim, which was to paint Mark's success arc as emotionally driven, whether or not this is entirely true.”

The advancements in technology make previews like this available to anyone with access to the internet. I personally went to the movie, saw this preview, went home, googled it, was directed to the YouTube link where the video was posted, and have watched it several times since. I was not alone in engaging in this act clearly, because as of today, the video has 1,878,562 views. The advancements in technology, and the accessibility of the internet make it possible for media companies to market their products--in this case movie producers utilized the internet to promote their film, a prime example of convergence culture. This also serves as an example of participatory culture: consumers of the media, those who watched the video on YouTube, actively engaged with the process by giving feedback. They also engaged in computer-mediated communication by bouncing ideas off of each other and agreeing or disagreeing with each other’s posts. Most of these posts shared my same take on the preview/movie in that we thought it was brilliant. The movie itself I felt had great acting, film techniques, story line, and ending. In conclusion, everyone go see the movie!

My Media Diet

Upon recording and reflecting on my media diet, I realized that consciously thinking about my media intake resulted in less media consumption than I normally would have (perhaps I should apply this theory to an actual food diet as well).  Here is a record of my media diet for one full week: Monday October 18-Monday October 25.

Monday: This day is where I devote the most time to watch broadcast media. This is simply because the only television shows that I regularly keep up with are aired live on Mondays, namely “House” and “Gossip Girl;” and I watch them in that order beginning at 8 p.m. and ending at 10 p.m. Besides the only other interactions I had with media was checking my phone every time it buzzed, whether it be from a text, email, Facebook notification, or phone call. Total throughout the day I would say I contributed an extra hour of media consumption simply by checking and replying to messages I received on my phone.  Total: 3 hours. 

Tuesday:

This day I spent about half an hour in between classes listening and downloading new music. After my class, I went to the library where I read the assignments for this course, wrote and replied to a discussion question on Angel, wrote last week’s blog on Social Networking and Privacy and listened to music on my head phones all the while. About an hour was devoted to all these practices. Add another hour of responses to texts, phone calls, Facebook updates, and emails. Total: 2 1/2 hours.

 Wednesday:

I am proud to say I did not log onto Facebook. However, on this day someone shared an online video with me called “Dark Side of the Lens” (that I recommend everyone watch). It’s a 6 minute long video  and I watched it 3 times throughout the day because I liked it so much. My total time spent on the internet watching this video and sharing it with others summed up to about half an hour. Also in class on this day, we watched a few YouTube clips that illustrated the effects of the internet on presidential campaigns; add another half hour with phone communication to my parents, and sending a few texts. Total: 1 hour.

Thursday:

After I completed my mid term on this day, I surfed the internet on a web-site called “Stumble Upon” which was introduced to me as a “GPA Killer” and I agree with that statement wholeheartedly because it is extremely addicting. I also went on the website “Sporcle” which provides online quizzes for pretty much any category you can think of; all this while checking another open tab of Facebook from time to time. I have to admit I did this for about an hour. I also skyped with my Mom on this day for about half an hour. Add another half hour of using my cell phone. Total: 2 hours.

Friday:

I spent almost no time consuming the media on this day. Straight after class I took the Cal Train to San Francisco, the only technological advice with me being my cell phone which I did not use. Upon coming back to campus, I watched a movie with friends that was an hour and a half long. Total: 1 1/2 hours.

Saturday & Sunday:

I rarely used any media forms over the weekend except for doing research in the library and briefly searching facebook. I probably did 2 hours of research, and an hour of facebook and cell phone communication total. I did not watch any TV. I attribute this decrease in media consumption the increase of social interaction I engage in over the weekend. Total: 2 hours.

Monday:

I had more homework this week so I was not able to watch House--it was a repeat so I wasn’t too   disappointed. But I did watch one full hour of Gossip Girl, talked on the phone to my mom for another half an hour, and emailed my advisor, a professor, and my Dad. Total: 2 hours.

In one week it seems my media diet reached 14 hours! While normally I would find this discouraging, I came to realize that much of this was for the sake of convenience, studying, gaining more knowledge through research, and only 4 hours total devoted to leisurely watching broadcast media. Analyzing this data also made me want to cut out even more facebook time, and instead do more productive things with my time.

Technology and Social Interaction

It is clear that technology severely influences social interactions. Those of us who have access to technology often do not realize how much social interactions have changed because of the widespread use of social media forms. There is a convenience factor that is extremely evident. If I miss my parents, I can easily log onto my skype account and invite them to chat, have virtual interaction, see their faces, interact with them, completely free of all costs. If this technology didn’t exist I would have to pay for a plane ticket home to get this kind of interaction. For the most part, I would argue that technology has had a positive influence on my life, by allowing me to have continued social interaction by communicating across far distances free of charge.

The convenience factor presents itself in the countless different ways people use technology. If you want to sell your bike, click a few buttons, enter your information of Craigslist and voila, you get a phone call and make your profit. The same positive effects are evident in the consumers of websites like Craigslist. I know we’ve all heard those stories about the people who “found true love” via online dating websites. Even if we don’t know the people directly, countless commercials advertising these on-line dating websites assure us that they do indeed work for some people. The iPhone 4 even provides its users with the ability for “facetime” which is essentially face to face video calling. By utilizing this application, people in the business world can take conference calls to a whole new level and even avoid long busniess trips. It would be foolish to argue that technology has not provided our modern society with some major positive assets; the convenience of technology is undeniable.

On the other hand, I do fear that the excessive use of technology can provide some negative effects as well. Becoming dependent on technology for all social interaction is not healthy for our society. The first example that comes to mind are the kids who become obsessive with World of Warcraft. Online gaming addicts are clearly developing unhealthy habits by being so isolated and cooped up in a virtual world. They lose sight of reality and that is only one of the obvious, negative consequences. THey miss out on what is happening in the real world and fail to learn the importance of interpersonal communication with their peers. I believe that becoming to reliant on virtual interaction has a spiraling negative effect as the individual continues to grow. Without developing the ability to communicate well with others in real life, a child will have difficulty communicating with their peers, accurately expressing their concerns or triumphs with teachers and parents, etc. Being able to communicate with future employers, express your feelings, have an educated conversation I believe all stems from establishing proper communication skills at a young age--not by becoming addicted to Halo, but rather playing and interacting with other humans. However, to combat this problem of excessive virtual interaction and deficient social interaction, I don’t think that the use of technology should be regulated; on the contrary, individuals should actively be aware of the excessive use of technology and never forget to value face to face human interaction. 

Social Networking and Privacy

When I came to the library to begin working on this assignment, I became immediately distracted. I sat down at 5 p.m. in an isolated corner on the 3rd floor, with full intention to complete this blog quickly, and get on with my other homework assignments. It’s been half an hour since I set out to begin working and in that time I have:

-browsed through facebook

-received and sent six text messages total

-emailed my grandma

-received 2 phone calls

It is clear that I am a victim of the social networking world that we live in.

To be completely honest, if I weren’t working on this assignment, I would not have thought twice about the amount of time I spend being distracted by social networking devices. What’s wrong with emailing my grandma, texting a classmate, chatting with a friend, and facebook creepin’ on my high school’s homecoming? The average person my age would say nothing, and normally I would agree. Social networking makes it easier for us to communicate, keep in contact, and even provides us with leisurely activities and relaxation. Lock yourself out of the room while your roommate is in class? Not to worry, send her a text and she’ll be right out with it. Lost in the middle of no where? Just whip out your iPhone and GPS will take you where you need to go. It is clear that much of social networking is beneficial and convenient for society; my only concern is that we become too reliant on it.

At times, I do worry about effects of living in such a fast paced society. It seems our generation is becoming accustomed to instant gratification and constant communication. We are constantly surrounded by social networking devices no matter where we go. It’s difficult for me to come to the library and isolate myself in my studies because I am so distracted and so used to being in constant communication with others. Even when I am alone, I’m not really because I never really stop communicating with other via texts and what not. I’ve had to make a conscious effort to put my phone on silent and close the facebook tab on my internet browser. Realizing how truly affected I am by technology makes me want to be be like Thoreau and just go into the wild for awhile.

It is clear that isolation is something that no one really seeks anymore. Even when people are alone, websites like facebook make it easy for them to share “whats on their mind” with the public. I worry that people my age are losing the ability to fully live in the present moment. Social networking provides us with the opportunity to be distracted and lose sight of reality. People become overly concerned with posting pictures of epic beer pong games on facebook and changing the privacy setting to hide it from their relatives on facebook, but my concern is what did they miss out on in real life when they were busy posting those pictures? Our generation is becoming defined by technology and the way we avidly pursue it. 

Believe it or not, I’ve enjoyed the time I spent in the library this evening. For once, completely alone.