As the digital world expands, it is clear to see that sharing files and distributing ideas has greatly increased. Easily accessible to the public world, you can say that originality has been twisted and turn. Is there such thing as true originality? Every idea is just a modification of another idea – Girl Talk is an example of modification. He rearranges songs, beats, etc to create a mesh up of something original. Although you can say that none of the sounds are actually his, but can claim the sound? It’s not anybodies sound but his. Copyright issues are extremely annoying when it comes to creating something based on others work, even if it’s completely different. Corporations are engrossed in the idea that anything with their logo is theirs, and to some extend it is true. But in the era of digital technology, you’re bond to experience this phenomenon – your ideas would be used for sampling.
The creation of the internet is a way to communicate to a broader audience. Instead of claiming someone is copying your idea, why not say that you’re just sampling? In order to create something better or different. If you can create, why restrict this creativity? Because it’s a business in the end after all, creativity is manipulated for profit.
People do not like the idea of innovation. If we already have something that works well, why try to find something better? There is always this hidden agenda that we must control the future. With distributions of ideas through the internet, there is no way of knowing how many people are trying to innovate. But some of the greatest ideas comes from others, take Facebook for example, can you say that Zuckerberg was the originator of online social networking? He was not the first one, he just modified an idea to create an alternative and it worked!
Nobody can claim they are original, you are a sampling of different exposures around you. We are all remixers, whether we like to admit to that or not. This gives us the power to speak out in different ways, putting our thoughts out there. It doesn’t matter if you use 10 different work, as long as you are able to convey a completely different message, we are recreating culture through remixes and what’s not to like about that? Culture builds on the past, so why can’t you look at using old ideas to build something new as something positive? We are evolving and so should our ability to recreate. If c;aiming this as stealing, then we are all guilty of it. How can something be deemed as plagiarism, if the idea and overall imagine is conveying a different message?
What I found interesting when it came to the documentary is the irony behind the Walt Disney Corporation. Disney was founded on the sampling of different animations but after his death, the company placed a law that restricts others (whom might have been easily influenced by this cultural icon to create animation) to be no longer allow to sample anything that goes beyond the 1920’s mark. The past is trying to control the future.
How ironic.