Watching Jon Ippolito’s lecture, “Hacking for Fun and Profit,” brought up many concepts and issues that artists today struggle with. One I found particularly interesting was the concept of ‘plagiarism and learning’ from the Internet. Is sharing good or bad? The most common way to learn anything is to copy. Monkey see, monkey do. This is especially true when executing software tutorials, for example. It’s just how we learn. However, the basis of the opposing argument stems from the blatant redistribution, for profit, of copyrighted material without the consent of the creator. I believe that copyright infringement lawsuits will be the death of creativity and innovation (Apple vs Samsung).

Another concept that captured my interest was the segment about appropriated/remixed art. Appropriated art is a form of art that is most commonly under fire due to copyright infringement. I recently viewed a film in my Intro to Time Based Visual Arts course titled “Hollywood Burn” which was composed entirely of appropriated clips and voice-overs from various Hollywood movies. I thought it was phenomenal and incredibly pieced together.

Reflecting on whether sharing is caring or simply plagiaristic, I believe this concept affects me in various ways. If I’m not careful with my work, it could be perceived as stolen. Creating appropriated art would be an extreme hassle because of all the work it entails (getting copyrights). Media giants are so quick to point the finger and demand ‘justice’ and damages when in reality, they really don’t need to stress over loose change.