Rough Draft

Sam Jenkins

Professor Burton

English 295

6/3/2012

“…a resistless, and almost frantic, impulse urged me forward; I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit (Shelley, 34).”

My eyes were burning, my head was spinning slightly. Should I just go to bed? No, this needs to be done. It has to look good. You can do it, Sam. I’m hungry, but I can’t eat. Redo a few more shots. Cut the music five more times. Wonder why I put so much effort into this.

Such is the state I found myself in while creating my video, “Creation Clash”. The point of this video was to be a clear, concise, creative presentation of my idea for my research paper. But, the creative part of it got a little out of hand. Looking back at it now, I probably was identical to Victor Frankenstein. I took the body parts of various ideas and fused them together, feverishly, obsessively working on a grueling project that (minimally) taxed my health. The video itself turned out a fairly monsterous mess, in terms of how much confusion and frustration it brought to those who watched it.

However, this experience could be considered a microcosm of my subject. Just as I created a video that turned out in a way I hadn’t wanted, so we could see that the Internet itself is a creation out of control. Put in the terms of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, I will be exploring the concept of the Internet as a monster.

The Analogy

            “After days and nights of incredible labour and fatigue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter (Shelley, 34).” Let us compare ourselves to Frankenstein,  and the monster to the Internet. As Frankenstein’s monster began with the simple, yet powerful idea of creating life, the Internet started out as a modest project taken on by the Defense Department in the 1900’s (Baccala). They were looking for a way to improve communication and create a system that would be impervious to attack during wartime (Baccala). Because universities were ones also utilizing computers at the time, they pushed the communication aspect of computers farther, with academics, scientists and engineers alike using the early programs to transfer academic information. Research and military sites dominated the early Internet world (Baccala).

Perhaps the game changer for the web was the business world. Once personal computers were taken to the public (Baccala), the internet became a thing that anyone can use. From there, the basic ideas that had founded the internet spiraled massively out of control. Government, education and business went into the internet simply to further their own ends, primarily being the ability to communicate. From these basic building blocks sprang up a creation that could have never before been conceived. Not only can we communicate, but vast social networks exist in the internet space. We can share nearly every aspect of our lives with thousands or even millions of people instantaneously. In addition, the Internet is a space where unrestrained creativity can flow, thus some of the major legislation and programs that are being placed to regulate this creation that is very much alive.

Responsibility

Many people feel that Frankenstein was the true monster of the novel, as he brought his creature to life, and seeing its hideousness, abandoned it quote. Eventually, he finally decides to take action against the thing which he has created. Throughout the novel, we see that he feels responsible for the deaths of his family members, because it was his monster that killed them. I can sympathize with Frankenstein in a small way, my video being a creation that I wasn’t necessarily proud of and the confusion it brought to those who viewed it. It is often the case that we feel obligated, in one way or another to take responsibility for our information, pictures, videos, writings, etc., referred to in this essay as content. The creation of the Internet and its subsequent growth and expansion resulted in SOPA/PIPA, copyright, creative commons and similar controlling programs. The three basic powers that brought the Internet into existence now are seeking to restrain it, with varying degrees of success.

Control Issues

SOPA and PIPA were formed by the government in order to help stop online piracy and protect IP, trying to keep websites from “to sell or distribute pirated copyrighted material such as movies and music as well as physical goods such as counterfeit purses and watches (Magid).” Many may agree with the intentions of the bills, but even more are afraid that these creations would get out of hand, like unto the Internet itself (Magid).

Copyright was created in order to protect the property of the business world. Piracy has always been an issue, with companies saying that they lose millions and millions to copyright infringement each year, and the consequences, if one is caught, can be dire. However, many feel that copyright restrains creativity, because the content cannot be easily accessed, used and therefore built upon.

Creative Commons was created as a response to Copyright laws, which many felt were too restraining. Publishing content that could be used by anyone (coupled with attribution), seemed to be the answer to the control problem. Indeed, it is a favorite mode of sharing content among artists and amateurs alike. I spoke with a man named Alistair Wood, who publishes chords and tabs for songs to be played on the ukulele under creative commons licensing. His blog post, gave a clear idea as to why many people like himself believe that creative commons is better than copyright. It allows for people to share ideas that would otherwise sit latent on their computers. However, just like copyright, content can be used in ways that the creator might not wish. There are more than a few articles and blog posts that come from disgruntled creative commons users.

Ultimately, we can see that although creative commons may have improved upon the strictness of copyright’s shareability, it still doesn’t quite solve the problem of controlling the Internet’s vast expanse of content.

Conclusion

            We can see the various downfalls of those programs seeking to restrain the Internet, and the backlash from their impositions. Just as Frankenstein found with his monster, it has become its own master, with an existence independent from one party’s control. Without control there is chaos, and any web surfer knows that there are more than a few ways to get lost among the swirling pools of content. There are so many people with access to the web, so much content it is made up of, so many wires and connections crossing and re-crossing in this ether space, that it seems impossible for someone to control. The creativity, collaboration and communication possible through the web is something that we cannot simply get rid of or find a way around. People will continue to utilize it, in one way or another. The monster will continue to live and grow. Not everyone understands it. Perhaps that is what we need. Like the creature of Frankenstein, we need a new way of understanding the monster sitting behind our screens.