Sunday, March 7, 2010

YouTube and You

My baby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iNrw9hbkeU

I have a group project in a class called Writing Across the Media. One of the most thought-provoking and creative-enducing classes I've ever taken. Hence, the video. It's a mock film promo about a gorilla that needs friends.

We created this video to talk about the arbitrary nature of popularity on YouTube. Have you ever noticed how some really stupid videos get so much popularity? They take no creative effort at all and somehow people just love them. When some of the more creative or artistic videos may get ignored.

So what does this say about art? We're not quite sure yet. Giving people more accessibility in creating art forms through YouTube and other internet medias has both good and bad connotations. Sure, people can spread their talents around much more easily and get recognition for it, even get paid in some instances. But on the flip side, this accessibility can lead to a cheapened form of art. Everybody with a camera becomes a photographer...everybody with a camcorder and Windows Movie Maker becomes a filmmaker. It's an interesting phenomenon to think about, and we really don't think about it enough because it's been there for so long. We've become so used to having YouTube, Blogger, Twitter, and Flicker that we don't think about how these things affect the nature of art.

Just think about it. And watch the video, of course!