Responding to the Rise of Remix Culture:
Challenges and opportunities for
teaching, learning and media literacy
Mike RobbGrieco
Media Education Lab
Temple University
robbgrieco@temple.edu
There is something normatively attractive, from
the perspective of ‘democracy’ as a liberal value,
about the fact that anyone, using widely
available equipment, can take from the existing
cultural universe more or less whatever they
want, cut it, paste it, and make it their own—
equally well expressing their adoration as their
disgust, their embrace of certain things as their
rejection of them� (Benkler, 2006, p. 276).
Are you a part
of remix culture?
Do you search others’
work for inspiration?
HANDS UP!!!
Do you ever
build your work
on borrowed parts?
Then get your hands up!!!
Do you quote passages?
Do you quote passages?
Copy & paste images or text?
Do you quote passages?
Copy & paste images or text?
Embed video?
Do you quote passages?
Copy & paste images or text?
Embed video?
Soundtrack your slideshows?
Do you quote passages?
Copy & paste images or text?
Embed video?
Soundtrack your slideshows?
Or speeches?
Do you quote passages?
Copy & paste images or text?
Embed video?
Soundtrack your slideshows?
Or speeches?
Then get those hands up!
Do you have a website, or
facebook page or myspace
featuring media texts made
by others?
Do you have a website, or
facebook page or myspace
featuring media texts made
by others?
Do you represent yourself by
the media you like and the
messages that interest you?
Do you have a website, or
facebook page or myspace
page featuring media texts
made by others?
Do you represent yourself by
the media you like and the
messages that interest you?
Come on, hands up!
Broadly defined,
media remix is
“to use or quote a wide range of texts�
to produce something new…
Remixed media may quote sound over
images, or video over text, or text over
sounds. The mix creates the new
creative work—the remix.�”
(Lessig, 2008, p.61).
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
As Henry Jenkins puts it,
media artists and students
“learn how culture works by
breaking it down into
its basic building blocks
and remixing it�”
(Jenkins, et al, 2006, p. 32).
Celebratory Remix:
fanship and participatory culture
right: Robbgrieco as a Simpson character, simpsonizeme.com
Left: Hobbs as Fairey’s Obama icon, obamiconme.pastemagazine.com
Critical Remix:
Commentary, Critique, and
Democratic Exchange
Critical Remix:
Commentary, Critique, and
Democratic Exchange
QuickTime™ and a
mpeg4 decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Critical Remix:
Commentary, Critique, and
Democratic Exchange
Michael RobbGrieco
Temple University
robbgrieco@gmail.com
Remix in Education
Potential Benefits
Challenges/Concerns
•Media literacy skill development: access,
analyze/evaluate, create
•synching texts and juxtaposition may
not involve critical thinking
•Skill practice: juxtaposition, sequencing,
multimodal expression
•in a variety of forms,
•for diverse purposes
•Practice focuses on technical minutiae
of editing, copy/paste
•Celebrates conspicuous consumption
& derivative production
•Media consumer/producer balance
•Economic use of time/resources
•Shallow engagement with content;
mere spectacle
•Immersion in participatory cultures
•Remixes are of narrow cultural interest
and scope;
•Negotiation of cultural identities
•Work w/ personally meaningful texts
•Celebrates pop culture trash
•Raises ethical issues for debate: copyright,
fair use, plagiarism/citation
•Remix confuses or ignores ethical
issues
How do we realize potential while facing challenges?
Use Fair Use Concepts
to Spark Inquiry
Benefit to society vs. cost to copyright
holder
Transformativeness
Is purpose transformed?
Is context transformed
What is the effect on potential markets?
Is the amount of source text used
appropriate for the remix context?
QuickTime™ and a
H.264 decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
References:
Scholarship
Benkler, Y. (2006). The wealth of networks : How social production transforms markets and
freedom. New Haven Conn.: Yale University Press.
Jenkins, H. (2006). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for
the 21st century. Retrieved October 29, 2006, from
http://www.digitallearning.macfound.org/site/c.enJLKQNlFiG/b.2108773/apps/nl/content2.a
sp?content_id=%7BCD911571-0240-4714-A93B-1D0C07C7B6C1%7D&notoc=1
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture : Where old and new media collide. New York:
New York University Press.
Lenhart, A., & Madden, M. (2005). Teen content creators and consumersWashington DC:
PEW Internet & American Life Project.
Lessig, L. (2008). Remix : Making art and commerce thrive in the hybrid economy. New
York: Penguin Press.
References:
Images & Music
(2002) Gulf wars episode II: Clone of the attack. Mad magazine (424). Retrieved 10/08:
http://www2.warnerbros.com/madmagazine/files/onthestands/ots_424/gulfwars.ht
ml
Hobbs, R. (2009). Hobbs as Obama icon. Created 3/09 at http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/.
Obtained in personal correspondance.
Jones, D. (Director & producer). (2007). Remix culture. Washington, D.C.: Center for Social
Media. (Excerpt edited for presentation by RobbGrieco, 2008). Retrieved 5/07 from:
http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/videos/remix_culture/
Nava, J. (director) (2008). Single Ladies (Put a ring on it). Performed by Beyonce Knowles. Music
video retrieved 6/09 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1nixzYHDus Excerpt edited 6/09
by RobbGrieco for presentation.
Party Ben (2009). We will jump you (Queen vs. House of Pain). (Mashup). Song mp3 retrieved
6/09 from: http://partyben.com/downloads/
Party Ben (2008). Single Ladies in Mayberry. (Mashup). Video retrieved 2/09 from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE-l4gfiCM8 Image retrieved 6/09 from:
http://partyben.com/downloads/
RobbGrieco, M. (2009). RobbGrieco as Simpsons character. Created 2/09 at
http://simsonizeme.com. Personal collection.
RobbGrieco, M. (Songwriter, producer), Beatty, G. (Animator). (2008). Users Rights, Section 107.
(Music video). Philadelphia: Media Education Lab at Temple University.