Open source software movement
The article written by Chris Anderson was right on point. It was written in 2004, a lot has changed in the shared music and video world. As I write this I am listing to a new website called Pandora Radio. Pandora is Internet radio that plays music only you prefer and also provided you with information on that artist and a source to buy that track or album. Most of the music that I dig is some of the most obscure music and would never have found it otherwise. To answer the question why should communication scholars study the open source software movement is because the idea is so far from the mainstream and contradicts the norms of marketing? We are so used to be swamped with mainstream media everywhere we go. Most of us, like me, if we had a choice would rather not subscribe to this torture. This out-pour of obscure content is also giving the musicians that otherwise had limits on the amount of audience they could reach a chance to be heard. The mainstream misconception and reality is exposed and people are starting to gain access to other non traditional forms of media.
Questions
- will the availability of alternative media eventually get exploited and turn mainstream?
- Will the amount of media entertainment available online eventually wipe out movie theaters and box office hits?
- If the open source software movements continues on the track it is on, how will all the software be shared in the future with artistic rights in mind?
