responding to the rise of remix culture: challenges and opportunities for teaching, learning, and...

Responding to the Rise of Remix Culture: Challenges and opportunities for

teaching, learning and media literacy

Responding to the Rise of Remix Culture: Challenges and opportunities for

teaching, learning and media literacy

Mike RobbGriecoMedia Education Lab

Temple Universityrobbgrieco@temple.edu

Mike RobbGriecoMedia Education Lab

Temple Universityrobbgrieco@temple.edu

There is something normatively attractive, from the perspective of ‘democracy’ as a liberal value, about the fact that anyone, using widely available equipment, can take from the existing cultural universe more or less whatever they want, cut it, paste it, and make it their own—equally well expressing their adoration as their disgust, their embrace of certain things as their rejection of them� (Benkler, 2006, p. 276).

Are you a part of remix culture?

Do you search others’ work for inspiration? Do you search others’ work for inspiration?

HANDS UP!!!

Do you ever build your work

on borrowed parts?

Then get your hands up!!!

Do you ever build your work

on borrowed parts?

Then get your hands up!!!

Do you quote passages?Do you quote passages?

Do you quote passages?

Copy & paste images or text?

Embed video?

Soundtrack your slideshows?

Embed video?

Soundtrack your slideshows?

Embed video?

Soundtrack your slideshows? Or speeches?

Embed video?

Then get those hands up!

Embed video?

Then get those hands up!

Do you have a website, or facebook page or myspace

featuring media texts made by others?

Do you represent yourself by the media you like and the

messages that interest you?

Do you have a website, or facebook page or myspace page featuring media texts made by

others?

Come on, hands up!

Do you have a website, or facebook page or myspace page featuring media texts made by

others?

Come on, hands up!

Broadly defined, media remix is

“to use or quote a wide range of texts� to produce something new…Remixed media may quote sound over images, or video over text, or text over sounds. The mix creates the new creative work—the remix.�” (Lessig, 2008, p.61).

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As Henry Jenkins puts it, media artists and students “learn how culture works by breaking it down into its basic building blocks and remixing it�”

(Jenkins, et al, 2006, p. 32).

As Henry Jenkins puts it, media artists and students “learn how culture works by breaking it down into its basic building blocks and remixing it�”

(Jenkins, et al, 2006, p. 32).

Celebratory Remix:fanship and participatory culture

right: Robbgrieco as a Simpson character, simpsonizeme.comLeft: Hobbs as Fairey’s Obama icon, obamiconme.pastemagazine.com

Critical Remix:Commentary, Critique, and

Democratic Exchange

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Democratic Exchange

Remix in EducationPotential Benefits•Skill practice: juxtaposition, sequencing, multimodal expression

•Media literacy skill development: access, analyze/evaluate, create

•in a variety of forms, •for diverse purposes

•Media consumer/producer balance•Economic use of time/resources

•Immersion in participatory cultures

•Negotiation of cultural identities

•Work w/ personally meaningful texts

•Raises ethical issues for debate: copyright, fair use, plagiarism/citation

Challenges/Concerns•Practice focuses on technical minutiae of editing, copy/paste

•synching texts and juxtaposition may not involve critical thinking

•Celebrates conspicuous consumption & derivative production

•Shallow engagement with content; mere spectacle

•Remixes are of narrow cultural interest and scope;

•Celebrates pop culture trash

•Remix confuses or ignores ethical issues

How do we realize potential while facing challenges?

Michael RobbGriecoTemple Universityrobbgrieco@gmail.com

Use Fair Use Concepts to Spark Inquiry

Benefit to society vs. cost to copyright holder

TransformativenessIs purpose transformed?Is context transformed

What is the effect on potential markets?Is the amount of source text used

appropriate for the remix context?

Benefit to society vs. cost to copyright holder

TransformativenessIs purpose transformed?Is context transformed

What is the effect on potential markets?Is the amount of source text used

appropriate for the remix context?

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References:Scholarship

Benkler, Y. (2006). The wealth of networks : How social production transforms markets and freedom. New Haven Conn.: Yale University Press.

Jenkins, H. (2006). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. Retrieved October 29, 2006, from http://www.digitallearning.macfound.org/site/c.enJLKQNlFiG/b.2108773/apps/nl/content2.asp?content_id=%7BCD911571-0240-4714-A93B-1D0C07C7B6C1%7D&notoc=1

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture : Where old and new media collide. New York: New York University Press.

Lenhart, A., & Madden, M. (2005). Teen content creators and consumersWashington DC: PEW Internet & American Life Project.

Lessig, L. (2008). Remix : Making art and commerce thrive in the hybrid economy. New

York: Penguin Press.

References: Images & Music

(2002) Gulf wars episode II: Clone of the attack. Mad magazine (424). Retrieved 10/08: http://www2.warnerbros.com/madmagazine/files/onthestands/ots_424/gulfwars.html

Hobbs, R. (2009). Hobbs as Obama icon. Created 3/09 at http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/. Obtained in personal correspondance.

Jones, D. (Director & producer). (2007). Remix culture. Washington, D.C.: Center for Social Media. (Excerpt edited for presentation by RobbGrieco, 2008). Retrieved 5/07 from: http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/videos/remix_culture/

Nava, J. (director) (2008). Single Ladies (Put a ring on it). Performed by Beyonce Knowles. Music video retrieved 6/09 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1nixzYHDus Excerpt edited 6/09 by RobbGrieco for presentation.

Party Ben (2009). We will jump you (Queen vs. House of Pain). (Mashup). Song mp3 retrieved 6/09 from: http://partyben.com/downloads/

Party Ben (2008). Single Ladies in Mayberry. (Mashup). Video retrieved 2/09 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE-l4gfiCM8 Image retrieved 6/09 from: http://partyben.com/downloads/

RobbGrieco, M. (2009). RobbGrieco as Simpsons character. Created 2/09 at http://simsonizeme.com. Personal collection.

RobbGrieco, M. (Songwriter, producer), Beatty, G. (Animator). (2008). Users Rights, Section 107. (Music video). Philadelphia: Media Education Lab at Temple University.