Before talking about Bolter if anyone wants to know everything there is to know about copyright law check out http://www.copyright.gov/title17/ it reads like any legal document does but it is easily navigated.
Brief Summary
I do not mind a lot of reading if the author can keep me interested and present new information. I felt Bolter was a little long winded and provided too many examples to get across his point. His main point being mediation has existed for quite some time it is just the form of mediation that is being re-branded. For me the point of any writing has been for it to be redistributed. This is not to say the author does not deserve compensation. I feel though if a writer writes solely for compensation than their work will be sub par. The people who excel in writing, music, film, or art are the ones who are truly passionate about what they create. Plenty of people download these things and most of the time it is due to the fact paying to see it is not worth it. Most people I know if they like an artist, musician, writer, or producer will pay to see their work that way more can be produced. The ability to access something doesn’t correlate to lost sales. There are tons of things I have watched on Netflix where if I had to pay individually to watch those movies I never would. The medium are switching as now films can be seen on Netflix and their subscription fees still allow studios to receive money back. Also, seeing a painting online is not the same as seeing it in a gallery. The photo montage example given is great as it displays how seeing an image for only a second does not give the same effect as owning the image. I am against illegal downloading as it expanded to all forms of media. Just because I do not enjoy someone’s work does not mean I should get access to it for free. Although, through YouTube and the internet you can usually find a decent amount of any ones work put up by them. Everyone hears about how hard it is to make a living being an artist. This is due to illegal downloading being so easy. The problem is not illegal downloading but rather artist failing to gain support. I refer back to Netflix where maybe free content actually boost an artist reputation. Plenty of indie bands have put their full albums up online or for a minimal fee. They do this to get their name out so they can make money off of merchandise and live shows. This shows a shift in mediation where no longer is the content what is valuable but rather what the content can generate. The problem with new media is now anyone can publish their content. This had led to plenty of independent musicians, producers, and writers to be able to make a living. Before, the internet you needed to be signed to a big name. Now, anyone can use the internet to independently publish their work. This is what big labels are fighting against not that illegal downloads are hurting their sales but now anyone with a computer can cut them out. Mediation will always exist but when independent content creators can do the same quality work as big labels the industry is forced to change.
Question/Discussion
I would like to pose one question which covers this topic entirely. Why has mediation became such a problem and is it a problem?
As stated in my summary mediation only hurts big labels that spend millions on promoting. With the dawn of the internet independent producers are exceeding to the levels of big name companies simply by having large internet followings. The shift is occurring in rather than labels tracking down the next big thing, spending millions promoting them, setting up doors, branding merchandise, etc. independent producers are doing the same thing with the backing of internet supporters. As stated before major label companies would never dream of saying here download our content from free from our website and if you want you can donate or buy some merchandise. The independent side does just that and the model is working.
Mediation as a distraction
Bolter speaks about how the flight simulator allows a user to remove themselves from the real world. That this 3D electronic medium is so life like that people forget they are in front of a computer. This is not a new phenomenon like he makes it sound. People have been using media for years to escape from where they actually are. Picture the grade school student reading a comic book inside his textbook that is escapism. He is using that media to escape the fact he is sitting in a class room. Just because new media can present a better display does not make it any different than how that grade school student reads his comic. Grant it he may now read his comic book on his laptop rather than in paper format but the premise stays the same. I would like to follow up with how do you use media to escape reality and when do you forget you are simply reading a book or in front of an electronic medium?
Connections to Course Outcomes
This reading connects directly to the course as before we start digital writing we must make sure we are not violating any copy right laws. All too often you hear of someone being made an example of and being sued for copy right infringement. I’m sure most of us have come across a link that is down due to copy right infringement. In a day and age where a piece of media can bounce around the internet from a thousand different places in a couple of minutes it is important to make sure the creator gets credit. The money may not be in the physical media but if the creator is forgotten along the process than his reputation is never built. We would all hate to make a great piece of media and have it seen by millions to ultimately gain no credit. That may be a vain look at things but how often do you read an article and look at the author. Anyone who uses an image posting site knows that images bounce around endlessly where tracking the original poster may become near impossible. The issue we need to be concerned about with this class is making sure the copy right holder is acknowledge to the full extent the law requires.
These warnings are commonly ignored but they do clearly state the consequences for ignoring them.(http://www.movlic.com/k12/copyright.html)
Works Cited
Bolter, Grusin. “Remediation.” Https://www.blackboard.odu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-3150305-dt-content-rid-351364_2/courses/201210_FALL_ENGL307T_22761/Bolter_Grusin-remediation.pdf. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept. 2012.