Comm 203: Creative Commons

In a world based on technology I find myself constantly on the internet. I have set tabs for when I open my Google Chrome. One of these tabs is the ever so popular site of YouTube. I can’t explain how helpful it has been to me. Another tab is Google itself. I know MANY college students who would proudly exclaim that Google has saved their asses many times. Now why exactly does this matter? Both of these are examples of copyleft. Most people have heard of copyright but have you ever heard of copyleft? If you’re a Communications major or teacher you might have. Actually I find it comical because as I type this it’s become apparent that Microsoft isn’t aware of such, as it’s telling me copyleft isn’t even a recognized word. Essentially copyleft is the ability to freely share and distribute knowledge and information. Creative Commons is a widely known example of this. When I was first introduced to the idea of copyleft about a year ago, I was outraged, but at the same time I didn’t fully understand the implications of forbidding copyleft. As I writer and poet, I have copyrighted all my works. I would be beyond upset if someone tried to pass my work off as theirs. I have spent countless hours in front of a computer and just as many with pencils and fountain pens and paper in front of me, scribbling away words that later became works of pride. I have friends who are musicians. They’ve written and performed their works. Some would be upset if their original work was played and changed by others, but then I have others who be ecstatic to find that someone took the time to improve upon their works. After a year, my idea of copyleft has changed dramatically. I feel one should have the ability to do as they wish with downloaded material. If there was no copyleft there would be no such thing as Fan Fiction, YouTube, Google, or even parodies of popular songs. I’m personally in-love with the Pokemon parody of Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball.” I have spent at least an hour listening to it and memorized the words. If there was no copyleft, this would be illegal and in a perfect world non-existent. Though I fully believe it would happen anyways. So to wrap up, my life would be extremely different without copyleft! I enjoy my life as it is and would figuratively die without such a concept as copyleft. Yay for Google, YouTube, Fan Fiction, Creative Commons, and much more!