Open Source, Open Culture

While I mentioned specific media reform groups in class, and in the previous post, I wanted to emphasize some other aspects of media reform and media activism that don't focus so much on policy, but on cultures which have grown up in the past few decades which put counter-hegemonic ideas about media ownership into practice. In these cultures, which are nurtured by the richness and potential of new media, the emphasis is on sharing, collaboration and the relinquishment of the ownership of ideas in order to produce the best technology and media possible. This is very different from the for-profit, market model of media which characterizes much of the media landscape, but proponents of Open Source and other alternative media cultures, are fierce believers that media monoliths, who are constantly working to protect their copyrights, stifle not only free expression, but the creation of better, more interesting and more diverse media products.

The idea of Open Source comes from the design of computer technology and hacker culture, where "source code" is the actual computer code behind a product. Rather than fiercely guarding the nuts and bolts of a technology you create, so only you can profit from it, the practice of Open Source means that anyone can look at the code, play with it, change it and improve it. The Free Software movement is an offshoot of Open Source, which takes a more activist stance towards ownership of technology copyrights in general. The more dependent we all become on Microsoft Office, for example, the more control Microsoft has over how many of use (and have to buy) their products; the more they can structure our experience of technology. For instance, they can create types of document files that can only be opened on their software, thus forcing everyone to use their software. Open Office, on the other hand, is completely free (and highly functional, thanks to a dedicated community). By challenging the idea that only a big, closed company can create good software, and by presenting a product that works across all formats, such endeavours are both products and political projects.

Another interesting aspect of Open Source Culture relates to media content, and the backlash against corporate ownership of ideas, especially when so much of our shared culture today comes from corporately owned media. In some instances, as in the article we read by Henry Jenkins, this can mean appropriation of copyrighted images and media by fans, either to the consternation of, or supported by the owners. Jenkins draw our attention to the doctrine of Fair Use, which has long protected the limited use of copyrighted material- for commentary, parody, criticism, etc. More than ever, as corporations seek to intimidate around the use of their products, it is important for all of us to know we do have the right to use media to a certain extent. Check out this clever video which explains Fair Use, by "fairly using" clips only from Disney movies!




With increasingly restrictive intellectual property laws in place, which allow companies to restrict how people use their products, open source culture has arisen to encourage the creative use, sharing, and collabortion of media.

Another way to do this, is to NOT use media from big companies, but to share your own creations and borrow from others who want to share with you!

The Creative Commons is a great place to check out. It is a clearinghouse of websites where people upload material, the majority of which is free for anybody to use, legally- to remix music, make videos, create art. (There are various licenses which ask you to do different things- whether you can modify it, whether you need to cite the artist, etc.)

As McChesney says, a corporate media system is not a given- there are other ways to conceive of how to create media, who can "own" ideas, what makes the best, most healthy media system. These cultures are places where these other ideas are being put into practice and being nurtured.