Viral or Anti Viral? Who gets credit?

With the advent of social media, well of the internet really people have become more inclined to share everything from photos, artwork news and everything in between.  Offline, people have been sharing artwork and utilizing other forms of communication for centuries in the form of books, and the spoken word in libraries and in museums.  Only now has the sharing images and other forms of media gone online and increased viewership by the millions world-wide. The term viral is as commonplace now in discussion of online content as it was back in the days of using the term to describe actual biological medical conditions.  Why?  How do things like art or media go viral? What is the difference between now and then?

The answer to all of these questions is innovative technology and YOU.

LOL CAT MEMES

You and everyone else on the planet that has access to technological resources like the internet, computers and smart phones.  Even those that live in places with limited resources still benefit from the sharing of information as the people who do have access pass along current news, and other information that would normally be lost to such individuals.  WE, are the collective intelligence.  WE make things go viral. We can be everywhere and witness events as they happen and share with a simple click of a few buttons.  It is through our connections and thought processes that we decide what will or will not see the light of day on the internet.

MEDIA PHOTOS

PSY- GANGNAM Style Viral Video

Ok, so we are the people sharing the information.  Spreading it everywhere.  We tweet, and re-tweet and share topical stories via social media channels.  When this happens who gets the credit for the story shares or the artistic meme or digital masterpiece that is being tossed around the virtual community like salt at the dinner table?  Mainstream media? The guy sitting in a studio somewhere that created the awesome work of art you took a photo of and shared that spread like wildfire making him a billionaire?(well we hope anyway)

Digital Art by Alex Andreyev

Well, it's hard to say.  Most of us do the right thing and give credit where it is due in the form of a blurb or by line in our social media outlets when we share, however, many do not.  They post and re-post funny or witty or beautiful things on the web without giving the original creator a second thought. Not right, but it happens.   As a creator of online content and artwork the decision to share or not to share should be my own.  How do we ensure this?

CREATIVE COMMONS

Enter the Creative Commons folks.  This is a group of people that run a non-profit organization that takes great strides in allowing for the sharing of online content while allowing the artist or creator to decide what gets shared and just how much.  Here are some of the questions they answer.

• Want to let people share and use your photographs, but not allow companies to sell them?
• Looking for access to course materials from the world’s top universities?
• Want to encourage readers to re-publish your blog posts, as long as they give you credit?
• Looking for songs that you can use and remix, royalty-free?

(CreativeCommons)

Their website is full of information on the sharing of information and control of artistic licensing.  If you're a creator it's worth a visit.


This sharing of information was brought to you today by the Letter E.  Feed the world...content. (all photos were pulled from online sources: lolcats.com, cnn.com, youTube, and weburbanist.com)