In the current society we live fast and don't fact check. We have become dependent on the easy access of Wikipedia, no longer searching above and beyond but only for what comes easiest. In the article, discovering what came first and what influenced what has not been a method that is widespread. If anything we only begin to research and investigate when money and or notoriety is involved. For instance Napster, offered a service that allowed people to obtain free music without giving the necessary royalties to the artists. While some felt that there was no wrong doing here others saw this as a complete disregard to personal property. This line is also true for literary plagiarism.
We are currently in an environment where we no longer respect property, language, or people. We are given the tools that allow us to use these various mediums, but in an environment where time is money, who has the time or energy. As sad as it maybe I know very few people who know how to properly use italics or quotation marks, so when it comes to quoting and giving credit so people may not give credit where credit is due. This lack of usage I believe contributes to "accidental" borrowing.
People like to believe that they are so original and they are the first to think up specific ideas but we live in a society where we don't give nor know how to give credit. We do not absorb ideas through osmosis, we instead believe if we rephrase or put our own spin on things that makes it ours. We must realize that we have to give credit where credit is due. It is when we begin to do this that creative exchanges will be more acceptable and less suspicious. We must be willing to openly celebrate our influences so they in turn we can be celebrated.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
As a huge Hendrix fan, I find it interesting how in interviews, he gave a lot of credit to his influences. Not only was he influenced by the usual blues suspects, but was also heavily influenced by Dylan. No one would ever accuse Jimi Hendrix of sounding like anyone else. Though few artists in 20th century popular music are accepted more as "original", Hendrix himself described his music as simply "blues turned up loud".
I am not sure if by giving someone credit it will eliminate the communication ownership issues today's society endures. If I write a novel and gave credit to all those that influenced my work, it would just trigger more lawsuits. People didn't want the credit, they want the money.
Post a Comment