Saturday, April 9, 2011
Meka.0
The preceding viral video was a parody of the Tosh.0 cable show on Comedy Central which parodies viral videos on YouTube. Basically it's a parody of a parody. Yes, I've gone meta. This weeks readings have us examining the phenomenon that is viral video. Such examination also got me thinking about the cottage industry that has sprung up around viral video. I find it fascinating, perhaps a lot like Wesley actually, that viral video has effectively jumped mediums. Think about it. An entire TV show devoted to videos that can't be watched on TV...well at least not until rather recent technological advances anyway.
What are the implications for authorship with all of this medium jumping afoot. (Pun intented.) I've watched the Tosh.0 show a few times and I confess I often find it wildly funny... and just as often wildly offensive. Though I'm not presently aware of any significant backlash from the stars of the videos being parodied I often wonder how they feel about their sudden, if dubious, second layer of fame. Particularly as Comedy Central is profiting from their "work" while they aren't. Is authorship an outdated construct in the realm of viral video? Hmm. What about the videos in which the star is clearly unaware that they were being recorded? Or where the video was uploaded without the star's knowledge? Who is the author in that case...the person who filmed the video, the person who uploaded it, or the person in it? Or Daniel Tosh? Or does it even matter? Weighty questions indeed.
Furthermore, when said video is then taken out of it's context and lampooned before the world, why in the world would anyone even want to claim authorship? Well, anyone except for Daniel Tosh, that is. I've more than once wondered at the people who appear in those "Web Redemption" segments. Somehow they never actually succeed at "redeeming" themselves but always manage to look like a bigger...well, you get the idea. I suppose there is some comfort afforded in officially being in on the joke but personally I'd sooner avoid being the joke in the first place. But, apparently, that's just me.
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I kind of made a similar point in my blog about videos on the Internet now making it onto television. It is an odd turn of events because it's the Internet that seems to be setting the standard for what is entertaining. But I think that's valid because the Internet gives real time feedback from millions of viewers.
ReplyDeleteI love Daniel Tosh! And I love the Web Redemptions, I think my favorite was the "I Like Turtles" boy. He has the unique ability to be nasty and yet good natured at the same time... some sort of "secret sauce" made up of irony and shamelessness. He's the right court jester for the times.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious what shows like Tosh.0 / WebSoup / The Dish do to define meaning for certain web videos especially in segments like Web Redemption. Imagine if Alexandria Wallace were to get a Web Redemption, would it somehow justify her rant? When we make humor a way in which we can analyze videos, does it obscure the serious side of some of these video topics?
ReplyDeletethough i'm loath to admit that i have watched on more than one occasion (though never from start to finish!), i agree. it is very funny and very offensive. it's the car accident that you can't but gawk at. the web redemption adds another layer of fame, and whether they are subtly mocked in the process (which tosh often does), they still get add minutes to their viral video fame.
ReplyDelete@Brianni, I think satire is an incredibly effective way to puncture ignorance and racism. Which is why I get more of my news from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert than any other source.
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