We've all seen the video by now. Kanye storms the VMA stage and rudely interrupts poor Taylor Swift's moment in the sun, arguing on the behalf of Beyonce, who appears shocked and appalled to be at all associated with him. It's the kind of moment that consumers of online media dream about. It's endlessly watchable, it plays well in social situations, and even created it's own catch phrase.

Youtube is amazing for it's archival capabilities, but it's photos like the one above that appeal more personally to my media tastes. The turnaround time between the release of original content and it's subsequent degradation by the online community has become nothing short of astounding in the past five years. This photo was released on reddit.com a few short hours after Patrick Swayze's death, referencing an event that happened only 48 hours before that.

People who are not familiar with online communities would be shocked at how organized and highly motivated members can be. Even more surprising is that unlike the producers of the original content, the people who create these forgeries receive no compensation for their actions despite a few pats on the back from other internet users. When we discussed the "Mototov Man" article in class, I felt that we skipped over the most interesting part of the article: the reaction of the online community. Their support of Joy Garnett was an example of democracy in it's finest form. Her reproduction of Susan's photo extended far beyond a single painting when she requested help from a group of perfect strangers, whose endless reproductions exhibited a great deal of wit and artistic skill. These people are voting with their art, calling attention to issues that might otherwise have been swept under the rug. Do we as the future of the media industry hope to stifle this creativity in pursuit of our own agendas? If the original content fails to gather as much interest as the reproduction, is that not the failure of the original content? Do we want to see our internet revolution go the way of the 60's movement, or is technology going to finally set us free?

P.S.