Friday, October 8, 2010

Do video-sharing sites such as Youtube enhance or worsen creative culture?

Youtube becomes predominant that attracts millions of users worldwide to access to it in every second. Various amateur videos uploaded by Individuals are shared without boundaries so Youtube a platform builds a network and extends it across the globe where people are allowed to share their own thoughts and creativity out of the system of mainstream media. At the same time other users participate in discussions by making comments or making another video to respond the one they are interested in. I believe by active exchange of new ideas the new branch of amateur creativity is growing stronger from our culture.

The main reason for the tremendous success of video-sharing websites, like Youtube, resulted from the global circulation of creativity. The concept of this type of circulation in the activity when people interacting with one another, according to Marek in “Creativity meets Circulation: internet, amateurs and the process of evolution 2009”, is what we call “collective creativity” (p.7): “…people sharing enormous amounts of audio-visual material…This circulation of ideas in a process you may label as collective creativity.”(p.7) Let "Chocolate Rain" for example, a popular funny clip on Youtube produced by a vlogger Tay Zonday. After the video has gained reputation on the internet, a series of “Chocolate Rain” parodies was published, such as the Starwars-inspired version by another active youtuber named Chad Vader and the Super Mario one by Stupid Mario Brothers. This phenomenon is very common as the digital technology allows us to rework original sources by editing and mixing. As Marek mentioned in the essay: “The digitalized nature of this material allows endless data-editing…it seems like there are no external boundaries for the creativity of the community…” (p.9)


Chocolate Rain Original Song by Tay Zonday
Chocolate Rain by Chad Vader

By the development of technology, the circulation activity of free digital video-sharing offers alternative ways for people to redefine the meaning of ‘creativity’. According to Marek in the essay, the mass media has been giving attentions to the amateur products because they are more “authentic” than ones by the professionals. The works by professionals who follows the traditional rules (Hollywood filmmaking for example) dominated the creative culture till the emergence of the technology of video-sharing. The role between ordinary producers and the professionals is becoming less distinctive than before. Marek suggested they both seem to part with the old-fashioned system. (p.2) For instance, the amateur products are “professional products look less attractive” (p.2) and the professional ones “try to imitate the ‘amateur look and fell’ in order to be perceived as original and authentic” (p.2). Therefore, the transition of the two parties becomes one of the outcomes of “collective creativity”. In the case of “Chocolate Rain”, it becomes the inspiration for artists. American musician John Mayer who was inspired by it made a spoof of the song. In my opinion the song turns out to be an impressive song by the singer! If there weren’t people who share their own idea and creativity we will cling on our old way and concept of producing things. Idea will be frozen without interaction through sharing.

Chocolate Rain remix by John Mayer
ENJOY!!!!

No comments:

Post a Comment