Greg Wycliffe - MIT 2371
I have always been a strong believer in the internet. Not just as a useful tool for communication and a vast resource of information, but ultimately as a platform that can facilitate social enlightenment and change. Lawrence Lessig writes in his article, “Free” in Eric Bucy’s “Living in the Information Age” of a dystopian future when the internet and all ‘resources’ will be privatized (controlled) through copyright, thus impeding human innovation and creativity. A captivating thesis; Lessig posits the dreaded corporate controlled future as taken for granted in the physical world and as progressively happening in the digital one of the internet. I somewhat agree, however was frustrated with this article because Lessig only briefly references and does not even describe how the internet is moving towards a privatized existence of control and cost. I support many of Lessig’s claims about the internet as a liberating, innovating, and creatively stimulating medium by describing some of my own experiences on the internet and also will point out some inconsistencies and reasons why I do not believe a regulated internet will happen anytime soon.
First and foremost Lessig mentions the increased property rights being implemented are a way to protect the old regime, “ways of life” from the new rising ways of life and claims that the “new regime has not risen to defend it against the old.” I believe this to be false and in fact quite the opposite. In this new information age two things are certain: corporations continue to prosper, grow, and seek to further privatize and control; and technology is becoming increasingly powerful giving individual human agency more and more power and reach. In this sense the new regime (young people using technology in new innovative ways) is defending this new way of digital life. Peer to peer sharing and websites that distribute and stream TV, movies and other content (controlled resources) illegally, are contemporarily published or re-published faster than the old regime can shut down these sites. Sites like ThePirateBay.org, their slogan now “The World’s Most Resilient Bittorent site,” once had their headquarters raided (site was only down for 3 days), faced legal charges from Hollywood related organizations, and have been under close surveillance and digital sabotage by the number one anti-piracy group MediaDefender. A teenager however was able to infiltrate the MediaDefender firewall – from his parents basement no less – and leak emails and files from the company who is home to some of the largest media conglomerates in the world. The new regime is not only prosperous and resilient in their new way of life, liberating information, but is efficient at defending it.
“Although most distinguish innovation from creativity, or creativity from commerce, I do not” (Lessig). I agree that all invention and creative works are valued and are thus worth money however online sites and communities can do without the goal of profit and thus innovation and creativity can prosper on its own. Most notably facebook.com started as an innovative social networking tool with profit not being a goal until its massive global popularity. Similarly Newgrounds.com was the first online Flash portal that was originally a community of users who create, share, and comment on each others’ various Flash creations, their slogan being: Everything by Everyone. I was an avid user in the past and had the opportunity to share and even collaborate with other users of the online community to create a music video where each of us contributed a 30 second frame by frame drawn animation. This is a prime example of the benefits the internet and digital technologies has for individuals to support the new regime. I was supplied with the necessary technologies to produce and distribute my own creations and innovations, the opportunity and access to participating in a collaborative creative process, as well as experiencing the ease of production and distribution the internet can offer all as highlighted by Lessig throughout his piece. Lessig also mentions however “The open and neutral platform of the internet has spurred hundreds of companies to develop new ways for individuals to interact.” Although MSN and AOL may be corporate entities seeking profit by connecting people, both facebook.com and newgrounds.com were created by kids (under 25) who at the time were essentially presumed to just be bored and feeling creative. Although newgrounds.com too has increasingly had corporate influence on their operations much like facebook.com and youtube.com they all still exemplify web 2.0 which to me is the free sharing of innovation, creativity, and knowledge; which should be a mandate for the new regime.
Lessig uses the term ‘resource’ very often in the second half of the piece without really giving it an operational definition other than some are free for the taking and others are controlled and require permission for access. In his first example he uses Einstein’s intangible ideas as a free resource and his physical residence (place where he used to live) as a controlled resource. This is an important distinction to make especially today because I believe to a large extent only physical resources are in fact controlled resources with the existence of the internet making intangible resources increasingly more accessible with only the fee of an internet connection. I mention this because as technology becomes increasingly powerful, users of these technologies become increasingly resourceful and innovative, and therefore tangible media “resources” (everything from scholarly journals to Hollywood movies) become increasingly intangible on the internet and thus increasingly accessible to everyone. My point is as these intangible resources, essentially now digital information, continue to be distributed, produced, redistributed, reproduced and never endlessly consumed the idea and attempts to privatize and copyright ALL intellectual property and successfully restrict access to ALL unauthorized personnel sounds increasingly ridiculous and impossible.
For every one business lawyer attempting to further privatize intellectual property on the internet and control access to certain information, I guarantee there is at least one teenager in their basement at their computer discovering new ways to control and manipulate the very technologies that enforce and dictate those very copyright restrictions. I would like to believe that this prevailing information society is working towards a free flow of all digital information similar to the H.G. Wells ideation of the World Brain but realistically that utopia is far in the future. For now the new regime of dispersed anti-corporate pirates seeking to liberate all knowledge will only be subject to more capitalist ideals of privatizing intangible ‘resources’ and controlling consumption. So amongst this clash between corporatized bureaucratic rule and liberating technologic rebellion to do my part in supporting the new regime of the information society I will continue to peruse the contents of my portable hard drive and save my $8 this month on Netflix.
No comments:
Post a Comment