Chapter 15 of The Social Media Reader discussed how fans of Star Wars often want to create their own “products” using the characters, plots, music and or other material from the famous movies. However, how should the individuals owning the rights to Star Wars and other brands feel about this? Although people want to create, should they be free to do as they please? The chapter pointed out how new technologies are making it possible for fans to create effects that rival those used in the original films, which may cause some confusion as to what are official Star Wars products. I can see both sides of the debate. You would like your fans to feel connected and free to be creative, but you would also like to keep control of where they take your original ideas. I also thought the chapter made a good point when it discussed legal reasons for maintaining control over fan productions. For instance, if the Star Wars Franchise did not claim to have the rights to material that has been created from their products, what would happen if one of their official products appeared to go in a direction similar to one that a fan proposed? Would they be sued?

Chapter 4 from A Networked Self dealt with the idea of “free” online labor. This chapter discussed how corporations can benefit from the free work we do online, and whether or not this is a form of exploitation. For instance, it is possible for corporations to benefit from the online social networks that employees have built up. The individuals that make up these networks may be viewed as potential customers or even as potential hires. But what if companies started demanding access to one’s social network as a job requirement? What if the size and value of an individual’s network played a role in whether or not he obtained employment at a particular firm? These are all interesting questions that the chapter asked. The chapter also went on to point out, from the viewpoint of the authors, two important aspects of exploitation. These are coercion and control. That is, are individuals forced into doing this free work, and do they lose control of what they produce?

The Banks and Humphreys (2008) article asked the question of whether or not individuals are being tricked into doing free work for a global media industry. However, the article made reference to the fact that this free work we often provide is often enjoyable. This reminded me of Tom Sawyer attempting to trick kids into painting a fence for him by pretending that the work was fun. Who knew that it could actually be fun? This article made some very good distinctions between individuals who co-produced for economic gain, and those who just co-produced for social benefits. It was somewhat interesting when the paper discussed how placing a dollar value on co-production can sometimes take the fun out of doing the work.

The article was also good to point out some of the risks involved for companies who attempt to use user generated work. For instance, work that is outsourced to individuals may not coincide well with corporate schedules. If the work gets too demanding, these individuals may simply leave the project. After all, it may just be a hobby for them.

References:

Banks, J., & Humphreys, S. (2008). The labour of user co-creators: Emergent social network markets? Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 14, 401-418.

Mandiberg, M. (Ed.) (2012). The Social Media Reader. New York: NYU Press.

Papacharissi, Z. (Ed.). (2010). A Networked Self: Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites. New York: Routledge.