Remix
Remix is the heart of creativity. Ferguson addresses the myths around creativity in his four part series Everything is a Remix. He argues that creativity is not a divine inspiration, and that original ideas are not the products of geniuses with a light bulb in their head. Instead, they are the result of applying "ordinary trains of thought, to existing materials." In other words, they are the result of remixing. Kirby's quote resonates well with the theme of Steve Johnson's book Where Good Ideas Come From. Johnson's book argues that when innovation and creativity are the top concern, "we are better served connecting ideas than we are by protecting them" (pg. 22). Where Good Ideas Come From's The Adjacent Liquid Networks chapter explains in depth the power and significance of environments supporting free flowing ideas. After all, ideas are not comprised of a single element, but rather a mixture of other ideas and elements. Everything invented or conceived could not have been created without exposure to prior ideas and concepts that are copied, transformed, and combined into a new, 'original' idea. After exposure to Johnson's book and Ferguson's web series, it becomes clear that remix plays a vital role in innovation and creativity.
Remixing can't occur unless there is collaboration. Collaboration requires people and their ideas to be connected. Today the internet is revolutionizing the concept of connectivity. Everyone has quick and easy access to information and media of all types at the touch of their fingertips. This is, after all, the Information Age! A whimsical video taken on vacation in aesthetic Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica can be uploaded onto the internet from tiny apartment in Onancock, VA. Then, a teacher in Barcelona, Spain might use the video (or parts of it) in a lecture on the travel industry of Costa Rica. All this could happen in, easily, a day. The spur of the moment video taken has traveled the globe in the blink of an eye. The internet is connecting people in ways, such as this, that were unimaginable before, but now seem commonplace. Libraries, databases, archives, and more are not only accessible online, but quickly searchable. Information, ideas, and creations are flowing into the internet at incomprehensible speeds. The internet creates a free flowing place of ideas and creativity flourishes. Protecting free flowing ideas on this open network is critical for remix. After all, everything is a remix.
Why is remix important?
"Creation requires influence. Everything we make is a remix of existing creations, our lives, and the lives of others." - Kirby Fergunson
@remixeverything
Want more information about the significance and role of Remix? Check Everything is a Remix's Resources page for some further resources at http://everythingisaremix.info/references/
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Remix is to combine or edit materials to produce something new. Isn't this just a fancy way of saying "copying" or "being lazy"? Isn't remixing plagiarism of someone's intellectual property!?!
Firstly, a quick answer to the question of remix's importance is addressed in the Wanna Be Startin' Something video below which was created by Clark Baxtresser & Avni Mehta. Then, a more detailed explanation is given with Kirby Ferguson's Everything is a Remix web series (found along the left hand side of the page) and Steve Johnson's book Where Good Ideas Come From serving as a foundation.
The architecture and law that surround the Internet's design will increasingly produce an environment where all use of content requires permission. The "cut and paste” world that defines the Internet today will become a “get permission to cut and paste” Pg. 204 - Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig