Producer/Consumer Relationships in the Online Community

This week they have asked us to describe our online activity in the way we consume and produce content.



Throughout the past year, I have consumed quite a bit online. Between being on Facebook, Twitter, following friends blogs and watching videos on YouTube. This course has helped me expand what I produce online, but prior to this course I produced posts on Facebook and tweets on Twitter.




I am encouraged to produce online content by many things. I am encouraged to produce online content from previous content that other people post. Friends and family as well as news and top stories encourage me. I write and produce content that interest me such as things that I am doing or watching. I enjoy posting what kinds of tv shows or movies I have seen to see what other people have seen them or what they think about them. I also enjoy posting about music so I can see who else enjoys the song or artist but also to see suggestions of similar music. I also enjoy producing content on organizations that I believe in, such as autism or cancer. I find that when other people are interested in the same thing as I am I produce more. I also produce online content when I feel like my thoughts need to be heard, not so that something happens but just to get it off my chest. I have never produce any videos but have always been interested in them.



The video series called"Everything is a Remix" states that the basic elements of creativity are to copy transform and combine ideas. The online community contains easily accessible materials, such as music, photos, pictures and video, which people can use to create a "new" type of media. This is how most of the ideas come about for new movies, songs or TV Shows. Throughout history, ideas, materials and writings were freely available to use and improve upon however, the incomes of copyright laws have hindered the building upon of ideas, materials because society has become so buy and sell.Having freely available material in online communities where producers waive the copyright privileges of content, allows consumers to create new media by combining and transforming ideas.



Although most people have come to an understanding about copyright laws and that when borrowing something that they have not created, they should give credit where credit is due, this is not always the case.Some people still borrow without asking and think nothing of it.Patent and Sampling Laws were introduced to allow inventors to have time to create, sell and distribute their product and to profit from this before others could take their ideas and profit from them. Today, these laws have been over-used causing the market of software development to evolve into a war.This is not what these laws were meant for, and this is causing our society to feel entitled to borrow, use or be influenced by other people ideas, material, or media, but feel that when others borrow or take theirs they are being stolen from.



Like this blog was influence by the video series "Everything is a Remix", things can influence creativity without infringing on copyright. Producers of online information understand that the material they publish may influence others creativity, however, consumers of this information must understand that the producers have put in hard work and effort into providing this media. Consumers must have the understanding that although they may be influenced, they should not reproduce any media, or material and call it original.



Thank you for following my blog to date. Come back soon for another interesting blog on the topic of new media literacy. Feel free to comment; I look forward to hearing your opinions.
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