Producer -----> Produ'S'er.....

It is extremely hard now to come across work that is creative and does not utilize the work or content of previous people or producers. The media forms that we are seeing seem to be recycled and relabelled with a little extra added in order to make them sparkle just that little bit more than the last time we sore them. It is often not until we really look into media forms and realize just how much this is happening. Perhaps it creates a sense of nostalgia in the viewer/consumer making it almost automatically recognisable, perhaps even initially just at the subconscious level.

By looking into just how much 'Produsage' really does occur in the media industry I decided to do a search and find examples of this and how there is really a declining trend in production.

Now I did not actually read 'My Sisters Keeper,' by Jodi Picoult, however before seeing the movie I was given a summary of the book and was particularly surprised at the ending where unexpected events occurred which would not have been the predicted outcome. On viewing the movie that was based upon the book they had manipulated the ending which would have followed the 'so-called' expected outcome which one would have predicted when first reading the book. I was relieved in a sense but also surprised that they could make a movie version of the book yet change the ending. However this is often the case as the producer of the movie may have a different vision of what s/he thought 'should' have happened in the movie, obviously with the Authors permission.

On the topic of movies,  'Sweet Home Alabama,' one of my all time favorites allows for the viewer/consumer to be the 'Produser.' On the dvd it has the 'normal' ending and an alternate ending which allows for the 'preferred' ending to be used.

Many songs have been revived, ripped off and manipulated in order to create perhaps a mashup of an 'oldie.' "You've Got the Love," a song now in the charts has been redone many times by various artists including, Florence and the Machines, Candi Staton, The New Voyager, and Joss Stone. Have a look at the following versions:

Similar?? Is this creative?? The current release by Florence and the Machines is certainly a good version but just how creative is it? They obviously have talent and have manipulated it into their own version.....

Now back onto the topic of movies..... One of the most popular family movies of all time and Disney's blockbuster, 'The Lion King,' could be labelled as 'Produsage' with its similarities to the Japanese comic 'Kimba the White Lion.' Even though the plot is different there are many characters and scenes which are visually very similar....

Many examples of 'Produsage' that are evident in Media forms are legal and have the permission of the original content producer however there must be many cases of where this is causing legal disputes..... and many that have gone undetected.... Surely we will be seeing more and more cases of content misuse and copying without permission ....

Have a look at the article below.... a consequence of 'Produsage!'

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/04/2809848.htm

Although 'Produsage' enables media forms to be recognisable it could work against it too. For example if I were a big Madonna fan and then were to watch an upcoming episode of Glee where they base the show on the Material girl herself. This could work either way- I might really like it as it brings a sense of nostalgia and I can sing along to all of the songs- or on the other hand I might really hate it as the cast may totally destroy the sings....... The way that Glee incorporates well known songs into their show does also promote people to download the original versions of the songs. So the original producer may in fact benefit as well as the 'Produser.'

MISHACHARLIE ACKNOWLEDGES THE USE OF CONTENT:

http://www.youtube.com

http://a5.vox.com/6a00d414287db16a470110168437d5860c-500pi

http://www.beansays.wordpress.com

http://www.ala.org

http://www.hroman.com

Cybersex, Pornography....Freedom of Choice.....

There are some critics out there who believe that internet pornography can be compared to drugs such as Heroin. Sure there may be similarities in that pornography itself may cause a biological release of naturally occurring opoids and in a sense cause feelings of gratification. However not everyone who views internet porn does become addicted.

Debate surrounds the topic of whether pornography on the internet should be regulated by law. There are many ethical reasons and especially the assumed right of choice as to why pornography is an important reflection of the right of free speech in society. On the other hand there are many adverse consequences that can result from Internet Service Providers allowing pornography to be accessible through the internet. Pornography is an industry that caters to basic human instincts and generates much revenue.

Pornography can be seen as weakening the emotional relationships in society by diminishing the ties of affection, love and sex. This can be viewed as altering the relationship between men and women thus having effects on the family structure. In games such as Second Life avatars are engaging in sexual encounters and ‘apparently’ this is a large part of the game which does in fact appeal to many people who take part. How ‘real’ can this simulated sex be though?? If a person is married in the ‘real world’ and their avatar has sexual relations with another avatar is this considered cheating?

I know if I found my partner on Second Life having sexual encounters with another avatar I would feel disheartened I mean as there is a person on the other end of the engaging avatar there must be some sort of human gratification (??) involved.

Much mainstream pornography through its gendered discourse has elements of objectification, submission and violence However, there are problems associated with proven causation between the consumption of pornography and subsequent behaviours and attitudes.

For those suggesting censorship or mass content filtering there must be justification and some compelling evidence of a correlation between pornography (or cybersex) and harmful attitudes/ behaviour. It is not just a case of moral preference in choosing to consume (or not to consume) such media but in fact due to social implications.

The Rudd Government has proposed compulsory internet censorship based on filtering out materials deemed inappropriate at Internet Service Provider level. Those opposing the Government’s attempts to impose a nationwide filter say that it will not help to stop illegal behaviour such as child abuse but will have implications such as filtering out important materials and slow down the internet and make it more costly. They say that society has a right to free speech and that censorship in a liberal democratic society is unethical and dangerous. In their view, there is doubt whether such proposals would achieve the intended goals because much illegal material is actually traded on the black market through the internet.

The debate over filtering is inadequate. The evidence for significant and extended adverse consequences is poor.  However, there may be compelling reasons for social control once we understand the causal relationships involved. The debate seems not to have encouraged further research to provide any relevant evidence. The filtering technologies are poor and if applied, with handicap all internet uses, irrespective of the material they are trying to access and view.

For the time being filtering software at user level and personal responsibility may be the answer because such a response is a private and individual approach that has no further social constraining impact and presumably maximises the outcomes preferred by the individual for their own benefit.

MISHACHARLIE ACKNOWLEDGES THE USE OF CONTENT:
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/08/10/adult6_wideweb__470x381,0.jpg
http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs30/f/2008/103/0/f/McGeek___Cybersex__by_Rimfrost.jpg

Second Life... Or Get a Life!! On second thoughts.....

A couple of years back I watched my partner log into Second Life and create an avatar. He named ‘it’ or should I say his Avatar ‘Jonathon.’ Now for a guy named Jeff I wondered how he came up with this name.... I wondered if it was just a random name or if maybe he liked the name. It then amazed me that a 6 foot 4” slim build man would design an Avatar with grotesque facial features and about 100 kilos heavier than his true self. What would be the attraction of creating a ‘so-called’ less unattractive version of yourself... Well I guess the answer to that would be that my partner did not associate this character as an extension of his being but just as a way of ‘trying out’ the game.

He was under the pretense that it would be a quick visit to the game to see his work mate’s (in the real world) creation. He would teleport himself to his friend’s Avatar in order to see his virtual workshop that would simulate his ‘ideal’ workshop that he would create in the ‘real world’ one day in the future. I did surprise me that 30 something year old men that actually did have normal hectic lives could find this time to spend in this simulated world. What was even more surprising was that another work mate of my partner had even posted a ‘photo’ from Second-Life on his Facebook page in one of his albums of his Avatar and his Avatars Girlfriend. It was a post-card from Ayers Rock. Their Avatars had been on a holiday to Central Australia ... Well the Second Life Central Australia.... I wonder if it was love at first site. Did these two Avatars or the people controlling them actually feel any emotion for each other? I actually met both of these guys on the weekend and having heard a lot about both and forming constructs of both in my mind I did find myself thinking that these guys were both quite ‘normal.’

My question is then why did these guys feel the need to engage in this online experience that consumed many hours of both of their lives? Well I am guessing that they just find this another way of engaging socially in a way that will not have real-life consequences. Perhaps it is a way in which physical presence is eliminated and therefore removes this awkwardness when ‘socialising.’ But who knows they may have their own set’s of reason’s like I am sure many people that have an Avatar do. I am still not convinced that this is a great way to spend hours on end a day though. I can see how people can interact with a virtual world in a way that might replicate ‘real’ life but you never know whether others are there for the same reasons. I might just add that I did in fact create my own Avatar on Second Life yesterday (after a lengthy discussion of the topic) but after frustrations with technology and multiple crashings of my PC I deleted the program. Plus do I really need another form of distraction from my studying apart from the endless and ever-growing list that I already have... NO!

Could there perhaps be another Second Life wedding on the way.... check out this one with a cost of approx $300.... money well spent???

MISHACHARLIE ACKNOWLEDGES THE USE OF CONTENT:
http://www.youtube.com
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1B1xYzt92yhR8t4Woa2Gtn5_0NKZl9-yHRiuK06JTu-e4No7tlFqsJCEVcG76yJnlAnMQg2imXzNVFJEHFDVwpjBRd5mXoIaibEvrkhMNNVD2MHPV2mB8q84vPg7M4cDYyNIR6fkfIPw/s1600/95_secondlife_3038_qjgenth.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-l9Dfllah3VIWXu9RjtbrbzawoKQYS0iJDDfRJ4ps9YrK6Re6E-2eQwh9JzsLqI1GN1snAdurH8HqWfR4IHYwcUZcaFcpGdBM0UAtpmAJr0eSZBqpQ3hWe22nBLVke97KYb1ONn-MpVE/s1600/second_life_logo.jpg

Extremist Groups!

What is Extremism?

Extremism is the term that is used to describe the ideologies or actions of individuals or groups that operate outside the alleged political centre of a society.

The Ku Klux Klan is perhaps one of the most renowned Extremist groups in the world which some view as a terrorist group. The Klan has existed for 130 years and has not notably changed in its fundamental beliefs in this period. Now America which is the founding nation of the Klan has always had Civil rights issues and an ongoing struggle with equality, however it is astonishing that the group can remain in its traditional views and hold such strong beliefs even in 2010.

history of the KKK

The Church of the National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Australia and New Zealand Realm claimed that it had infiltrated the Australia First Party as a result of several of their members secretly joining the Party. This claim was denied by the Now whether this claim did happen to bear any truth or not does not change the fact that the beliefs that the Australia First Party behold are in fact of the same racial views. In such a multicultural society like Australia the Party wish to abolish multiculturalism.

a video from the Church of the National Knightof the KKK

Is the Australia First Party an Extremist Party?

The Party has had a long history of making Extremist statements and some of its leaders do have ties with Extremist groups. With the views and the core policies that they uphold they do have the fundamental beliefs of an Extreme Group. Their ideologies operate outside that of the two main Political Parties that dominate Australian society. They are in comparison to the KKK and to many other Extremist groups very small in numbers and do not have the power behind them to be a dominating group on their own, However it is evident that they (may) have allegiances to other Extremist groups. Now the Australia First Party are utilising the internet in order to put forward their views and ideas in an aim to persuade people to support them. It also allows people that are interested in their views to follow their development. However as the Internet does allow for freedom it is quite easy to ignore this Party in mainstream media. However to ignore such a group is just to ignore the fact that these misrepresentations do exist and although 'We' as a Nation have come along way... there are these Extremist groups who may just never get it... Thank goodness they are the minority.

MISHACHARLIE ACKNOWLEDGES THE USE OF CONTENT:
http://www.youtube.com
http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00284/palestinians_284041s.jpg