Delicious Nothings

Breaking Down a Generation

In my day to day travels across the internet I often run into articles that truly hilight the stupidity of the big media companies: the RIAA is suing another grandmother, MediaDefender cripples Revision3’s network, the MPAA wants to charge you more for the “privelage” of excercising your fair use rights, etc…, etc….

Personally, I’m sick and tired of being treated like a criminal and feeling like I am fighting a losing battle.  I grew up in the heyday of Napster.  I get the allure of piracy.  However, I also understand that a band or the creators of a movie should be compensated for their work.  As such, I have absolutely NO PROBLEM PAYING for my music, my movies, and my entertainment.  However, most of the time I can’t even if I want to.

Why?  Well, I’m sure there are 1000 different reasons why.  But a major contributing factor seems to be that the giant media conglomerates, the gatekeepers, have absolutely no clue what to do with the internet.  It seems as if those in power, either don’t understand the internet - the people who have their secretaries print off their emails daily - or they are so invested in the old business model that they’ve forgotten why they are there or what they should be doing.

So what’s to be done?  More and more I’m beginning to realize, that until the current regime is supplanted by a more technology aware crowd, not a whole lot can be done.  And that’s where my thoughts have been for the last few days.  It’s a strange feeling to want an entire generation to move on so that a new generation can take over.  Are thoughts like these typical for a burgeoning twenty-something who’s raring to make an impact on this Earth?  Does this happen with every generation or is this the product of the new technological age?  I don’t have any answers yet, but I know that something’s got to change.  It has to.

I feel like were at the cusp of a major cultural shift.  I can feel it coming.  But until it does, I’ll keep fighting to make the best of the situation and quietly - or not - wait until it’s our time, my time, to take over and the current generation to take a step back and maybe, just maybe, learn a thing or two.