Political video mashups as allegories of citizen empowerment. by Richard L. Edwards and Chuck Tryon
“We are making change and change doesn’t happen in front of your living room TV.” Robin Bell, a remix video artist [1]. Video mashups are part of a growing online remix culture, and typically fall under the designation of user–generated content. Using readily available software tools, the creator of a video mashup recombines two or more pre–existing videos and/or audio sources into a new, derivative work [2]. That derivative work generates new meanings through the juxtaposition of the original source materials. The notable growth of these mashup practices in the last few years has been enabled through Web 2.0 culture and online architectures of participation, especially the ability to rip and share digital content, access to affordable (even freely available) video editing tools, and easy–to–find and easy–to–follow tutorials. Hence, almost any user, even those with limited or basic media skills, can learn to be a video mashup creator. Furthermore, these users can deploy the Internet as a platform, and upload their new mashup creations into distribution channels such as YouTube or Facebook, share them as links in e–mail messages, or post them as “embeds” on Web sites to enable their spread to other users [3]. Subsequently, inspired after watching another user’s mashup, still more users may choose to participate directly in remix culture, and produce their own video mashups. In terms of empowerment, these further acts of participation are crucial because they signify how users can become more active and more media literate with the online and off–line information they are consuming on a daily basis [4]. While many mashup projects are done as personal amusements, to demonstrate cleverness, or for other entertainment purposes, in this essay, we will be examining mashups created and distributed for overtly political reasons, or intentionally produced and shared to comment upon and contest other forms of sanctioned political media [5]. This type of user–generated content might be reasonably called — in its political focus and modes of empowerment — citizen–generated content. more... http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2617/2305 _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
