YouTube Becomes TheirTube
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LA Times analogizes a cleaned-up YouTube to the imposition of law on the Wild West. I'd say it's just another example of The Man homogenizing something raw and populist in order to make money off of it. Hey, The Man has to eat, and we've known all along that monetizing eyeballs was the plan, and there's money in it for regular folk, too. But turning George Carlin into Jay Leno will have consequences. Once you've told everyone that you're making a site safe for kids and advertisers, the bluenoses can't be far behind, agendas in hand. The cool and creative will get squeezed off the front pages, to the ghettos of YouTube or to other sites. The great anarchic DIY culture will be tamed and made accountable to people who think laugh tracks improve a show. YouTube will be TV. It will be TheirTube. Sic transit gloria internet. |
Comments (1)
Ed, have you ever met someone who would disagree, excepting the stereotypical hacker ?
The closest I've come to that point in the spectrum is the 'how' to monetize the eyeballs - not whether their would be money made or not.
And no, you can't count the usenet'ers. They are too close to being a hacker.
Posted by RBM | December 11, 2008 5:11 PM