Burgess & Drax - Viral Videos

Drax makes his videos for Youtube using Second Life, another social networking program. They stand out due to the originality of Second Life reporting, and through serious reporting he legitimizes it. This, in turn, encourages other users to do the same. Not only can the other users actually participate in these virtual realms - and possibly then participate directly in Drax's reporting, they can then make videos through Second Life fairly easily - only requiring a decent computer with video capturing software can they imitate what Drax can do. Drax captures what Burgess describes as the bedroom feel of Youtube viral videos by using these low budget tools, a virtual realm instead of a professional camera and cameraman, and in the end contributes the 'bottom-up', word-of-mouth videos that Burgess describes.

Drax Xcred

Read the Burgess article in the Video Vortex Reader and also view the links provided to the work of Bernhard Drax (aka Draxtor Despres). How does the article's perspective on the nature of viral videos apply to the work of Drax?

Drax's work is one that primarily takes place in the second life world. He reports on activism and puts these interviews on youtube. The activism on second life he reports on spreads to other users on second life by showing them whats out there to experience on this social networking tool. By exposing other people to this experience on a virtual medium, he is informing them. People show other people, and by word of mouth information in spread. In addition, Drax himself is a mouth in the activism. Because he has a wider range of subscribers he is able to reach a bigger audience in the internet community. He works the virality of youtube videos as an tool to push his agenda.

Response to Viral Videos (Extra Credit)

In his article, Burgess talks about how Drax's work has been vital in creating the cultural practices that take place within social networking. He is known for his work with the avatar computer life program called Second Life. He used the program as a political tool in order to have his views and ideas expressed through this medium. Thanks to Drax's work the world of politics has taken off in Second Life and now many users use this outlet as a way of sharing their ideas and beliefs. Drax helped move Second Life from just a social networking site to a political tool that can be used by people all over the world. Thanks to his work there now exists a group of Republicans on Second Life who actually support Obama and gather more support for him just through Second Life. At first people doubted that Drax would be able to use such a minimal tool to take over and show people that you can campaign through any social networking site but once it became apparent that this was true, the idea took off in the minds of many. Burgess's ideas come out through Drax's work because he shows people that you can engage in a cultural conversation online through either video or games such as Second Life. He shows that by interacting with other users he can attract a wide variety of people who are interested in the same ideas and beliefs.

BLOG 12: Viral Videos (Extra Credit)

Burgess’ article relates to Drax’s work because Drax has essentially cultivated cultural practices within a social network; Drax has turned Second Life into a political tool to express political ideas. Other people have adapted his political practices in Second Life and have emulated him. There is now even a group of Republicans on the game who support Obama, and they even campaign for him through Second Life. Because Drax has participated in contributing his content to Second Life, he has been able to exercise Burgess’ idea of engaging in cultural conversation around online video; other users in the network have responded to his work. The response to his work on Second Life could not be predicted when he first started his work, but it has evolved into a cultural practice within Second Life; he has installed political consciousness within the social network. His work has acted as a hub for others to create similar work, such as the Republican Group for Obama that has emerged since then. A wide range of participants now engages in political activity within Second Life. Drax’s influence within Second Life as a political force has retained itself within the social network of Second Life. Although Second Life was first created with the intention of merely being a social network, Drax has helped it evolve into a political sphere as well; now thousands of users are doing the same, and this cycle of exchanging political ideas within Second Life continues.

Video Vortex

Lovink’s article was about how Youtube became a phenomenon. It is basically a database of information. Today Youtube offers many options any one person is able to “Broadcast yourself” or search almost any topic in the world. It attracts all ages and is creatively designed so that the viewers watch multiple videos without losing interest. A good amount of videos on Youtube are short so the viewers that watch a bunch of them sometimes don’t realize just how much time they were consumed for because they only think oh the video was only 3 minutes. The viewers did not multiple it by 25 videos or so.

Manovich’s discusses how the user base has switched from credited professional sources to content and information produced by non-credited or professional users. He argues that with the use of the web today we are able to make old media new again and add new life to it. In both articles we see a sense of optimism. Both authors are trying to show us the advantages of the web 2.0 as well as how our society has switched to non-credited sources of information and entertainment. The web is able to consume us more with the addition of Youtube and other new aged sites.

Yes Men FIx the World blog 11 week 10

The Yes Men film is very interesting because these men try and stir contrversy with large corporations as best as they can. They defnitely ask the general public and corporations to re-assess how the operation of corporations effect the world on the large scale. The Yes Men cover issues the media usually decides to leave out. They are strategically accurate with their satire of corporations and are seeking to expose the immoral practices of corporations fueled by greed and wealth. My favorite part and the scene on the back cover of the movie was the survival ball. I thought this part was incredibly funny yet pertinent to the overall theme of the movie. In a way the, Yes Men pit the general public against corporations. They strive for the general public to ask the question why do we allow such awful practices by corporations to go on? I really enjoyed the film.

Video Vortex

In her article, Lev Manovich proposes that youtube videos are a new and emerging art form that represent the diversity of the creative community that publishes them to the site.

Contrarily, Thomas Elsaesser is an opponent of the consideration of the youtube video as art, proposing that a lack of originality and thought concerning the structure of videos prevents the clips from reaching the level of "art."

Manovich and Elsaesser have different opinions on youtube videos as art primarily because of the different ways in which each person approaches the idea of art. Elsaesser's emphasis on avante-gardeism informs his opinions about youtube in that the typical youtube user doesn't have the patience or the desire to create something unique and evoking through their filmmaking. On the contrary, the typical user does have the power to build upon an already systematic approach to video making, such as the vlog or other popular genres of youtube videos in order to make something that's less focused on the aesthetic aspect of art, and more culturally and communally involved with the idea of it. This internet-culture based phenomenon aspect of the youtube video, and the successive additions that are made to this culture as new videos are posted everyday, are the main reasons Manovich considers the youtube medium a valid for of art.