Assignment 3 - Remix or Plagiarim?

In 2010, seventeen year old Helene Hegemann captured the hearts and minds of her fellow Germans with her debut novel, Axolotl Roadkill. Hegemann already showed promise at an early age: She debuted her first play, Ariel 15, in Berlin in 2007, and the screenplay she wrote at the age of fourteen was produced, filmed, and shown in European theatres in 2008 (Wikipedia, n.d.). So the fact that her debut novel was nominated and chosen as a finalist for the $20,000 prize at the Leipzig book fair may not come as a great surprise.

What did surprise and shock Hegemann's growing fan base was the allegations of plagiarism that surfaced within weeks of her novel's release. A blogger uncovered numerous passages in Axolotl Roadkill that were almost directly lifted from an earlier obscure novel called Strobo (Kulish, 2010), as well as pieces lifted from the blog of Strobo's author Airen.

Unrepentant, Hegemann defended her book in interview with the Berliner Morgenpost, insisting that the material was not stolen, but was simply not properly acknowledged (The Local, 2010).  In another interview, Hegemann noted  that her generation is used to using and adapting any information they find on the internet for their own creative expression (Paterson, 2010).  As Hegemann said, "There is no such thing as originality anyway, there is just authenticity." (Paterson, 2010)

This case highlighted the deep rift between remix culture and the practices of the older media institutions in their divergent assumptions on intellectual ownership and copyright laws. I used this as a case study to examine the statement "Remix culture is fundamentally at odds with older media institutions and practices" through a series of images hosted on the Prezi platform. Though the assignment requested uploads to Flickr, I found Prezi allowed me more versatility in presenting my thoughts, while adhering to the image requirement.  The file is public and open to copying, and can be viewed here.

References

Kulish, N. (February 11, 2010). Author, 17, says it's 'mixing', not plagiarism. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/world/europe/12germany.html

Paterson, T. (February 19, 2010). Publish and be damned: Young writer's ego dramatically punctured. The Independent. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/publish-and-be-damned-young-writers-ego-dramatically-punctured-1904037.html

The Local (February 9, 2010). Young literary star Hegemann counters plagiarism claim. The Local. Retrieved from http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100209-25143.html

Wikipedia (n.d.). Helene Hegemann. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helene_Hegemann

Digital Literacy & Me

I can't believe I'm actually on this blog!  It was a titanic struggle against technology; but creating a virgin gmail account coupled by a new invite from Jess finally tamed the blog monster. Best get assignment #1 posted.

The video tutorials on YouTube make creating a podcast sound so easy. Indeed, iMovie and Garage Band were surprisingly user-friendly to a neophyte. It's clear why the digital generation chose these tools and this medium to tell their stories.

Unfortunately for me, the tools' ease of use does not automatically translate into product quality, as evidenced by my very first, and very wince-worthy, podcast. Please forgive the mumbling, strange intonations, choppy transitions, uneven sound quality, and all the other areas for improvement on this podcast. Though I have to say, the tool are such that there is an allure to continue the exploration.  Hmm...do a Christmas podcast instead of the annual letter? Hmm....

I've always loathed seeing myself on film - my exuberant expressions looks like caricatures, and we won't even talk about the magic 10 pound weight gain.  So the podcast is composed of photos only, which is  not what I saw in my mind's eye when I first mulled over this assignment.  Popular media provides the example and the measure for professionals and amateurs alike. When I first thought through the podcast, what I saw and heard in my head was drawn from the visual styles of multi-million dollar Hollywood productions, and this first attempt falls way, way, way short of my mental visuals.  In doing this assignment, I realized how many factors are at play in creating a good product, right from the script to vocals and sound, visuals, colour, editing...the list goes on. Will having these skills be something that is expected of my kids' generation, much like typing is for us today? Will they be expected to create and submit "professional" quality hyperlinked video CV's for judgement by their prospective employer, even for entry-level administrative jobs?  Will immersion in new media mean mandatory expertise as well? Who determines expertise? Is expertise arrived at by consensus: more thumbs-up than downs?

Doing this podcast brought home the depth and breadth of knowledge a digital native may be expected to have. The world is at your fingertips, but you are obligated in turn to build the world. Will that be paralyzing or liberating for my kids? I hope it's the latter.