Journal Response 4

Lessig and Selber both address the concept of remixed works in their texts, or the idea of creating something through the idea of already created texts.  Following the idea of remixed works, there is no original content as everything is just parodying something else or meshing ideas together to form something new, but there will never be anything original. I agree with this concept, as even if something is advertised as new and never been done before it still pays tribute to something that happened before, whether it be something that sparked the creativity of the creator or just the general concept or idea, nothing is going to be one hundred percent original. However, there could be a misconception that this remixed work is actually plagiarizing the original idea, when in fact it simply works off of the idea instead of just blatantly stealing it, although it is a very thin line depending on who is looking at it. A general example of this is seen in movies as directors tend to key in on elements from other movies to create a better film, particularly in action films. While a remix is creating something “new” from the old, an assemblage combines a new idea with an old idea, similar to a research paper. In the paper quotes and ideas are pulled from outside sources and new themes are added to it to address the writer's argument. In an assemblage it is clear who the idea belongs to as it is stated when taking something from someone else, however in a remix there is no clear line or boundary between who is the creator of a concept because the concept is altered from the original work. In a remix we, in a sense, gain a new concept that others creators can pull from and alter, leading us into new ideas, however this can also keep us stuck within a certain realm of concepts that become redundant after awhile, like when something gains popularity and suddenly every book/movie deals with the same general idea. An assemblage is beneficial because it provides outside sources to strengthen an argument and builds into a new thought process.