Mr. Lessig has hit the nail on the head when he talks about the effects of the read/write web on our kids in his Ted Talk entitled, “How Creativity is Being Strangled by the Law”.
Larry Lessig is a Law Professor, and the founder of Creative Commons, a license that enables creators to legally allow their work to be remixed and shared without breaking copyright laws. He talks about how kids today are not willing to settle into the passive consumer role like we were.
That made me think of something….I have been thinking about the old days when people did not question practices or comment negatively on things that nurses, doctors, and teachers were doing. They believed everything they were told!
Today is so different. We are a more critical society and take an active and role in our family’s health and education. We ask questions, do research, and look for alternatives. This is a good thing.
However, when it comes to media, we are much more passive. We accept the bad shows on TV and allow ourselves to be docile consumers.
This is not the case with our kids! They make and watch their own content! They are not passive consumers- they produce and create and are unwilling to just sit back and be entertained. They do it because they have something to say and an audience that will listen.
I think our kids will look back at us watching tv and wonder why were were so passive, and wonder why we didn’t create…
Powerful stuff! You’ve got to watch this one!
