Consumer-Producer

I have to say I found Kirby Ferguson’s four part documentary; everything is a remix most intriguing. I mean the way he opened our eyes to the lies Hollywood has been feeding us unintelligent movie goers and music listeners was like no other. That previous statement was very much an exaggeration, but either way I found the documentaries very fascinating and entertaining. I especially loved when Quentin Tarantino’s kill bill was the topic of discussion. When scenes from game of death, once upon a time in the west, Lady snowball and so on, were put along side scenes from Kill Bill I was amazed at the similarities. I must say that being a mash up king like Quentin Tarantino takes a lot of work and creativity (the very word that brings about so many debates). At the end of Kirby Ferguson’s videos he then asked so politely if you -- the viewers -- could donate a little money for the production of the next part to the documentary.

Now there is a reason I mention Kirby’s request, not just because he was so polite with his request, but something much more relevant than that. How many of us viewers at the end of that video felt the obligation to donate money to Kirby Ferguson’s next video. As much as I enjoyed it I must say it would take a little bit more motivation for me to f make a donation whether small or large. I don't feel as if this makes me a bad person, its just the way us viewers tend to react more often than not. Now this is not the first time we have seen such pleas, on a similar but not so similar angle many of us can remember the plea by Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales for donations that was on top of every Wikipedia page not to long ago. How many of us felt the obligation to donate to any of the various pleas we have encountered by the creators.

As little as the decision of whether or not to donate may sound, I feel it plays such a big role in copyright issues at hand. That decision is what feeds at a consumer when he or she has to decide whether to buy a record or illegally download it; buy a movie or illegally download it. Hana posts, “I have to admit, that I wait patiently for my favourite shows to be posted right after they air on third party websites; links that are posted in violation of copyright laws” and Jordana adds, “That being said, I myself have probably not been the most ‘ethical’ consumer. I am saying this in regards to my consumption of music (the first thing that comes to mind when I think about copyright and the internet).  For years, I have downloaded music without always paying for it. I understand this is considered illegal, yet when it is available in every which direction, and done so commonly, it is difficult to pay for it.”

These are the words of the consumers themselves; these are the very people that you the producers are hoping will support your creativity by purchasing (donating in some cases) what you have created. I do not intend to shy away from myself, because just like Hana and Jordana I mentioned earlier,  cannot bring myself to buy an entire album or movie when it is so easy to retrieve without a cost. Maybe in our confessions are the solutions to the problem. Maybe me saying that I will not purchase because it is so easy to find elsewhere is the solution. Maybe continuing to find ways to crack down or these file sharing sites is the solution. I know what I am writing is not news to anyone but understanding the consumer is so important to working towards a solution. I am not far when I say this because number seven of the nine sites Henry Jenkins writes about reiterates my claim. Jenkin’s states that in the games industry, the major success have come from franchises that have responded to peer-to-peer technologies by establishing feedback from consumers during product development rather than through legal action and name-calling like the recording industry (Jenkins 2004).

Convenience and affordability are key obstacle to overcome. I believe that more people like myself have began to make gradual changes to the way they retrieve the media they consume. In the past 2 years I can say that I have been purchasing many more songs from itunes than ever before, I am beginning to take a relativist approach to my decisions on media intake. I believe that the subscription-based model that Jenkins talks about is also key to working towards solutions. As you can see in this article by GQ’s Nancy Hass, Netfilx is already changing the game for everyone.

image courtesy of http://wordquadlife.blogspot.ca

I also hold that another approach to a solution is a drastic move to make a statement by either the consumers or the producers such as boycotting. While I am well aware that this is not a very viable means to an end, it sure would be interesting. Who am I kidding no one is going this route as long as money needs to be made.

Jenkins, H. (2004) The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence  International Journal of Cultural Studies March 2004 7: 33-43