Everything is posted to the internet! Music, movies, research articles, books and even your paper on Abraham Lincoln. The way we share files and information is so expedient that we hardly think about where they come from. However, there are rules in place to make sure that people aren't profitting on the work of others.
The number one example that I wanted to talk about is music. The honest and ethical people will use sites like iTunes, Spotify or Pandora to get their music. As for the rest of us with more blurred principles will download music with software to rip the sound off of youtube videos or visit The Pirate Bay.
The access to music is virtually limitless. With "Fair Use" laws and copyright protection it may seem risky to be downloading things off of various sites. I am not here to talk legalities but instead ethics.
I have always operated under the values that music is an artistic expression and as a musical artist the aim is not to make money but to get their music out. Therefore it is actually a benefit in a way to the artist to download their music, whether legal or not, because it provides exposure! If a band is good enough and gets enough notoriety it should prompt people to go to their concerts to see them live.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Cyber-Bullying
Cyber-bullying has taken up a huge part of the social critique of internet interactions. There is an increasing concern that youth are being harassed and bullied by one another. The most extreme concern appears to be derived from the Amanda Todd case.
If you don't know about Amanda Todd check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej7afkypUsc
The cases of teen suicide and self-harm as a result of cyber-bullying have been blown way out of proportion to make it appear as if these violent endings are the result of every instance of cyber-bullying. There is no doubt that there is the potential for the harmful effects but they make up a very small percentage in the grand scheme.
I side with the idea that the actions seen as cyber-bullying are more or less "meanness" than oppression. Bullying requires a higher and lower social standing but online people are all on a relatively equal plane.
No doubt there are some pretty negative consequences of cyber-bullying but in the long run it falls in place with any other teenage "meanness" that has been shown through out time. Over the years people have found a way to poke fun and make life hard on one another, in this day and age where a lot of communication is done via internet, it is just the way teens have found to be mean to each other.
If you don't know about Amanda Todd check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej7afkypUsc
The cases of teen suicide and self-harm as a result of cyber-bullying have been blown way out of proportion to make it appear as if these violent endings are the result of every instance of cyber-bullying. There is no doubt that there is the potential for the harmful effects but they make up a very small percentage in the grand scheme.
I side with the idea that the actions seen as cyber-bullying are more or less "meanness" than oppression. Bullying requires a higher and lower social standing but online people are all on a relatively equal plane.
No doubt there are some pretty negative consequences of cyber-bullying but in the long run it falls in place with any other teenage "meanness" that has been shown through out time. Over the years people have found a way to poke fun and make life hard on one another, in this day and age where a lot of communication is done via internet, it is just the way teens have found to be mean to each other.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Champions of YouTube
YouTube is one of the most popular sites on the internet where you can watch anything from music videos to dumb homemade stunt videos. I myself have even gone to YouTube for school work; the site offers a multitude of "how-to" and "so-and-so explains" type videos. However, one thing is sought out by these people placing videos on the web.
Views. Views. Views.
The more views a video has helps it pop up closer to the top of the search results. The more time your video is viewed the immediate result is general popularity. There are a handful of music artist that have found stardom because of their cover, or original work, that are posted. The other benefits, ones that viewers tend to get impatient with, are advertisements.
When you come upon a video with millions of views on YouTube; say the classic "Charlie bit my finger" video. The 30 sec long video shows two very young children, one a toddler and an infant, and the infant bites the toddlers finger. That's it. No special effects. No entrancing dialogue. The family received more than $100,000 for the simple video. The advertisements give the publisher such a small amount of money per view but when you multiple how ever much the royalty is by millions and millions, there is some money involved.
Outside of the financial gain possibility YouTube offers a visual encyclopedia of cultures. It is a wonderful place to go view whatever you want to see. It is where people can act on any impulse; to go from "how to cook a pot roast" to "double back flip motorcross" or where ever your mind is wandering. Much like Google, YouTube offers people a unique place to access visual information and entertainment of any and every type.
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