Recently, we have explored do-it-yourself citizen journalism, video blogs and what this means for the “traditional” fact-checking/filtering aspect of reporting… but what about the recent momentum of do-it-yourself cinema (think YouTube and IFILM)?
Seems that many have taken YouTube’s “Broadcast Yourself” tagline to heart, uploading and sharing videos of all that is random and unusual - dancing cats, people flossing and eating paste (though not at the same time), and “Friends heading to Modesto from Fresno.” In fact, people are watching more than 50 million videos on the site daily! And on a personal note, I have found the site to be a valuable resource for locating 80s sitcom themes, classic TV commercials and rare concert clips from music acts. And let’s not forget homemade spoofs to all the above.
Many of the videos, however, use copyrighted songs and materials (flashback: Napster). Check out this LA Times article, that details how some labels are looking to turn online video “into a profit center.” “The gap between people who create and those who consume is closing fast.” Indeed. And USA Today discusses “personal media” and what this may mean for advertising and mass media. Stay tuned.
Comments