i wrote this a long time back, when i was new to my space. of course after that i became aware of a hundred more socializing sites. i had initially registered just to get to know people around the world as that would be rather refreshing. to see different viewpoints and gather if we all really are as different as we claim to be. but as i eneterd this crazy world, i realized that it was a lot bigger and a lot more.... and i decided to write about it generally. we all read articles about how orkut or my space help people meet. most people log on to them for that. i have just one advice for people being swept away by the tide.... always log on to www knowing exactly what you want. this is a basic principle of life, and it stands true for www too. the only difference is that the world of www is far too dynamic and virtual, so that the consequences may be more dramatic, skin deep, but there will be those nevertheless. this is rather factual rather than the story telling mode that i prefer. but i find that this is one of the most sensible one that i have written, as its to the point and devoid of wordplay
THE NEW WORLD OF WORLD WIDE WEB
World wide web is becoming like a new market in itself, a new domain and a new economy. Its almost like it’s a country with its huge patronage and huge possibilities. everything can be made available on the world wide web. People download music, see movies, view channels and even get married on the net. Chatting and places like my space are considered way better means of making friends and we don’t see people whipping up a conversational storm in café’s with strangers anymore. Its like a whole new world. Most people have crushes online and get jobs online. Most even work online. Finally, the world is experiencing radical changes and we are moving towards a new world, where geographical barriers have been rendered insignificant, thanks to the internet.
This age of the worldwide web ( which is already threatening the publishing and music production labels as artists get more and more independent , what with my space and such other portals), the advantages are many. Lets first tackle the subject of artists. Musicians have always had to do the bidding of labels who had to put in a lot of money in recording their songs and even more to make it available world over. The stars burned more and earned even more. There were huge expenses which obviously are taken from the consumers so that even the returns are huge. Then there was the whole celebrity and star movement leading to endorsements leading to more money and hero worshipping. But as they say about idols, the moment a man is made an idol, a thousand clones emerge. So this culture may have already lived its life. Writers, had to go hungry and wait for the extremely busy publisher to read and see if his manuscript were worth the thought. Then of course, if the material looked like it would sell, and the output would be much more than the input, they would be published. World wide web has changed that. Now, all the musician needs to do is record his song and post it on portals like my spaces, and scout for friends. Then, if your songs are loved, you could probably be promoted to the record phase. If not, you are still heard and if you take the pains to manage your own account, you will be able to get a lot of feedback, some of which may be constructive. This also has a bigger advantage that is not immediately visible. The whole crux of pop culture, lay in the fact that things that were popular were everything. So much so, that in the United States, you were either famous or dead. Many of the teenagers bought CD’s of artists they did not even know about, just so that they could talk to their friends and understand what they were saying. Musical diversity, especially in tastes, was far less than it is now. So that, if you don’t belong to the genre that is in, no matter how good you are, you are pretty much dead. Who wants to spend money on rock when hip hops what’s hot! With websites like my space, hi5 and others, musicians have finally found a way to discover their niche audiences, people who like their music for its worth and not because they are insanely famous, and people who are less likely to flake out when they do release a CD. Obviously, the quality of audience that these artists get is better than what even a Britney Spears got five years ago, as they are more interested in the music than what these people are wearing or doing in their spare time. Also, these portals are like launch pads for people with genuine talent but little means. Arctic Monkeys is a group that was launched thanks entirely to the internet, as that was where they gained popularity first. Many bands are bound to follow, and if it sounds too much, just check out the people opening accounts on my space. At least their management has ensured that they are seen on the portal where more than 60 million people ( growing at an unbelievable rate) flock. For writers, this is a new opportunity as blogging has become bigger than ever before. So that a writer can find his audience from around the world. One of the biggest challenge before a publishing company, is that the writers work have the capacity to work in the geographical area he comes from. This dampens the hopes of all those writers who may not choose to write about the predicaments of ‘ their people’. The manuscripts lie, gathering dust and the writer keeps the pen moving so that he may earn something. A lot of talent gets squished out, thanks to this. But not anymore. Through world wide web, they have an opportunity to at least launch their career, and thanks to the new software called reader, their works can be made available on the internet in downloadable format. All a writer wants is a reader. We cant all be JK Rowling’s, but then, its no fun to write for the walls and the doormats. Another trend, and a very dominant one, is the growing number of relationships online. This may sound ridiculous, but the fact is that we do tend to reveal much more and be much less intimidated, while writing answers than speaking them. Communication may be dubious, but words are used in a much better way while chatting. Also, people are less uptight and so more open, at least more informative than in real life conversations. But the biggest advantage is again that people of similar thoughts and philosophies can come together and geographical boundaries are not a hindrance to it. This also makes the concept of one world truly imaginable, for now, we don’t view Americans as white and uptight people, nor do they view us as snake charmers who are perennially at risk of malaria. Ram and Rob are just that, Ram and Rob. They both like basketball and think that Hilary Duff should stop singing. They are both agnostic and can speak for hours about that. So they are people who can talk with each other as humans and not as American and Asian or European and African. They can share their thoughts and compare their situations, they can laugh at the same jokes and cry for the same things. Ram and Rob belong to a new world where boundaries are just places where the security is reinforced and you have to show that you are who you are and that the places where you were born and authorities there approve that. Of course, the world is a less safer place with your personal details for everyone to view.
This is just a peek into the world wide web as I have not even covered the Amazon and E bay part. But the fact remains that internet has revolutionized the world. Though, like everything, all is not beautiful. While internet has opened the doors for these artists, it has also opened the doors for that big bad giant that the copyright and patents acts around the world had been trying to curb, Piracy and plagiarism. Internet is a pirates haven, for not only can you download songs for free ( which is far more popular), you can also copy paste a material from a blogger’s blog and use it as your own. This is the primary fear facing the recording and publishing giants, even motion picture houses. They are loosing business to people who throw their work free of cost. With bloggers too, this is a genuine concern as their works might be used by people and they will never get the credit. Even if a copyright is in place, it is almost impossible to know if my short stories have been picked up by an American ( ok lets make this more difficult, an Ugandan) writer, till of course they make him as famous as Dan Brown. When printing first came into being, there was a need to create the copyright laws that could protect the work of the original creator as now everyone could reproduce it. This also made writing profitable for writers. With the advent of world wide web and blogging culture, this need has quadrupled, for, if printing made plagiarism a possibility, www is the haven for plagiarists. Record labels sidelined the culture of musicians going from town to town and singing their songs for revelers, but their growing worth created pirates who could give you the same deal in much cheaper prices. With world wide web, these pirates have been given an exceptionally extended lease on life. They have found a market that is way bigger than any market all musicians could get, combined. So that, even now, the true creator may not always get the credit for his work.
Though these difficulties have been noticed, little has been done to stop it. While many artists from around the world can be found pleading the people to have some character and buy the original works and not pirated works, the fact remains that we live in an economy that works on the principle of demand and supply, where everything has a value and yet, free goods are valued above everything. When a consumer goes to a market, with ten bucks in his pocket and five things in his mind, piracy makes it possible for him to get six of these things. As far as ethical aspect of piracy is concerned, however wrong it may be, what will you say to a person who downloads free music, about how piracy is like taking the bread and butter of musicians away, when he will solemnly quote that Britney Spears spends more on the food of her dog than the poor fellow can earn in the whole month!? after all, Robin Hood is one of the cult figures who is extremely popular, especially if you are getting the free goods.
Yet, despite the drawbacks, which I am sure have a solution, world wide web has changed the way we live and do business. Also, it has worked in the favor of art. Does this mean that record labels and publishing houses will be a thing of past? That café’s, so much for their booming business, will start loosing their clientele? While the indications are strong, I believe that it is too early to say so. For one, this has not started happening visibly, for another, it may take some time before actually making internet available to every corner of the planet and also, the birth of one opportunity does not kill another one. At the best, people today have more choices, at worst, more distractions. Yet, the one thing required in the new world of world wide web, is stronger and more stringent intellectual property laws, and even more stronger individuals. Also, a lot of moderators and a lot more sophisticated technology. Here’s to the era of the mind and the times of the world wide web.
