In the world of new media, still images are like solid, immovable monuments, while videos are like fluid, unstoppable viruses. Given the fact that most of us want our images and ideas to “go viral,” understanding this concept is critical.
I have a lot to say on this topic, but for this first post directly speaking to the strange paradoxical way in which — in the world of the Internet — still images are like Mt. Rushmore and videos are like the bubonic plague, I will simply offer an illustration of the concept.
Let’s start with the little, uncredited thumbnail you see to your upper right. I stole this image from a photographers Web site, I give him/her no credit and I provide no hyperlink back to his/her site. This kind of screen-grab stealing and usage happens 3.4 million times a second, and it’s totally illegal.
Below you see a bigger version of the same image. Now I will tell you it was made by Ian Shive. You will note that I’ve added his copyright stamp, and if you click on the image you’ll see that I’ve created a hyperlink to his site. Further, I will tell you that Ian Shive is a wonderful photographer, a great guy and that you should definitely check out his site and use his services. The fact that I’ve done all this does not change the fact that I what I have done is totally illegal. I have stolen this image from Shive’s Web site, broken copyright law and abused Shive’s right to control his intellectual property. I just can do this with a still image without breaking the rules.
Now, I’m going to post the five-minute episode one of “Wild Exposure with Ian Shive”, a video hosted on Vimeo.com. This multimedia production by Shive and Russell Chadwick features stunning video by Chadwick, amazing still images by Shive, an original musical score the team had commissioned, and yes, you got it: the same photograph that I already stole twice in writing this post.
Not only am I legally allowed to share this video, I am encouraged to do so by Shive, who enabled the “Embed” button, allowing me to post this video directly into my post. And there is no stipulation that I have to say wonderful things about Shive, or provide a link back to his main Web site. In fact, I’m free to host this video on my “The World’s Shittiest Videos” Web site, and even if this really irritates Shive, there’s very little he can do about it.
While it’s impossible to move Mt. Rushmore, powerful viruses have a way of a way of moving with wonderful, unstoppable speed.