popular thinking

WHOSE TUBE IS YOUTUBE?

If you've been online lookin for video clips, certainly you've found some form of safe haven in iFilm.com. But since December, YouTube has emerged as the peer-to-peer Napster/Grokster answer for anyone seeking any kind of video online, whether it's someone's idea of a humorous Webcam movie, the 21st century version of America's funniest home videos, creative clips and memorable TV and movie moments. In fact, the New York Times used YouTube, Gorilla Mask and Daily Sixer to compile a critic's notebook examination of the ever-expanding list of Brokeback trailer spoofs. Of course, it's kinda interesting to see the Times sending people to one site that's more popular for its "spank banks" and other NSFW oddities, and another site that's got a sexier cousin with nine daily nudie pics. But back to the YouTube issue. YouTube is directly responsible for the hype of SNL's "Lazy Sunday" Narnia rap video, as well as the Brokeback spoofs. And it shrewdly put in easy instructions for anyone to share the video clips as links or as clip packages on their own individual sites, blogs and portals. I know I've used it. But before you can say, "not without the expressed written consent of Major League Baseball," NBC and CBS have gotten all snippy about the rebroadcasting and retransmittal of some of their clips -- especially for free. CBS, with its own Public Eye blog, took a look at the debate over one of its own clips. The L.A. Times had an interesting report on it all earlier this week. My colleague Jesse looks at some of the ongoing debates, too, as MTV2 apparently is willing to lend a hand. No surprise from me on that last front, considering Viacom, which owns the MTV Networks, also acquired iFilm and has a VH1 show capitalizing on online videos.

I'm sure there will be plenty more to say on this topic.