Take Down
I do like it when people intelligently pick apart an argument that gets passed around the echo chamber. Over at his blog Whimsley, Tom Slee was kind enough to do just that to Clay Shirky’s “Collapse of Complex Business Models” essay. The money quote comes towards the end, “Complexity is not going away. It’s just moving to a different spot in the production chain, and as it moves so does the balance of power.”
Also, interestingly, the essay kills an argument I’ve made myself: Pointing out that the “Charlie bit me” video no longer tops the YouTube all-time most watched list. That spot is now held by none other than Lady Gaga. “The most watched video made in the last five years shows Lady Gaga and a group of hired models dancing on an elaborate set in a video that embodies complex production methods, that is part of the Vevo channel (a joint venture between Google and major record labels) and that features product placements by Nemiroff Vodka, Parrot by Starck, Carerra sunglasses, and HP Envy.” So there’s that.
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That was a mighty saucy riposte.
I confess that I feel much the same way about Clay Shirky’s writing as I do about Lady Gaga’s music: I’m consuming something a bit too sugary for my health, yet I enjoy them both so, so much. It’s especially interesting to think about what it is in pop media that makes it *work*, and Tom Slee does a great job with this essay.
I think it is important to note, however, that teenagers use youtube as a form of radio. They make playlists of music videos and then press play so many those “views” on lady gaga could actually be “listens” which would never happen with the charlie bit me video (unless it was tha awesome remix version!)