Creativity

How can we foster creativity through new media? With access to millions of links and pictures at our fingertips is it hard to be creative? Right in front of our eyes everyday, on multiple screens, we see thousands of flashes of different images. So if we’re watching, scrolling, and swiping all day, is it so hard to find something original? Well according to the New York Times, no it’s not. In a 2007 article, Nickelodeon spokesman Dan Martinsen says, “Our audiences can creatively mash video from our content as much and as often as they like”; referencing the recent pop music mash-up video of the popular kids television show, SpongeBob Squarepants and rapper Soulja Boy’s, “Crank That”. “The postings (called mash-ups) are made by editing together snippets of animated movies and TV shows. The finished products look like music videos in which the cartoon characters do the singing.” – Brooks Barnes (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/business/media/24crank.html). Since the 2007 article came out, there’s been an outpour of newer content and phone apps that let you use that creativity. Some examples; Vine, a smartphone app which features 7 second clips created by the user, mostly for funny and quirky content. Instagram, another smartphone app, let’s you uploads 15 second video clips and photographs taken by the user. As the newer media expands and grows larger, so does our curiosity and our need to be apart of things. We use these creative outlets to feel relevant and show the world the parts of us we want them to see. So, I feel if anything the newer media has given us that stepping stone to see others creativity and to become more creative.