Remix Culture is a word used to describe the use and acceptance of derivative work in society.

Derivative:

Something that is based on another source.

So in other words, it means someone who uses already existing and available materials to create something new.

The two videos above are of the same song. However, the video on the left is a music video created by the original artist. The video on the right is a video created by other people.

The above videos are based on the same song and based on the same dance moves. However, the original video is on the left and has been created by the world famous singer, Beyonce. The video on the right has been created by amateurs who either wanted to create a video as a comical take on the original, as a tribute to Beyonce, or as an expression of pride being young, confident, single women.
What ever their reasons for making this video, it is still their participation in the remix culture of today. They have seen a video they like, thought of an idea to create their own, planned that idea, created it and shared it with the world.

On the right is a music video by Don McLean. The song is a very famous song and is hugely popular around the world. Due to its popularity you can imagine that people use it for more than just listening to.

This is a video done by the city of Grand Rapids. They are promoting their city to tourists, whilst breaking a world recorder for lip dubbing. It is a really nice video and a lovely, creative way of remixed Don McLean's classic.

This video is a comical remix of the above 'Grand Rapids' video. You will need to watch all three videos to understand why they relate to one another and the different emotions each video brings.

The three videos below are other examples of remix culture. They however, show remix culture with same principles but in a different form. They are not remixed videos of music, they are videos cut and edited from existing films and made into music videos. They have been created through taking specific parts of a movie, looping that specific scene and adding music to the video. They are a very creative form of remix culture, and very amusing to watch. The interesting thing about these videos are that most people really would consider or even understand how time consuming and effort goes into cutting, editing and adjusting the videos to create something completely new.

Remix Culture is a word used to describe the use and acceptance of derivative work in society. By derivative I mean that remix culture is a word used to define people than create new work from existing materials from other work created by people. Many people are unaware of the fact they they are participating in this culture, because many of us have grown up not knowing any different. This especially applies to the younger generations of the world with access to computers, software and mainly the internet.

Everyone is familiar with the word remix, it means to takes something that already exists and create something new based on that original thing. Culture is another word that everyone should be familiar with. It is a word used to describe a group of people that believe, follow or participate in something, an idea or a practice, together.

Remix culture is by no means a new thing. It is something that people in society have been doing since creativity became part of the way we as humans live. However before technology it had less publicity, because people didn't have the resources to share what they had created with the world. Instead they would share it with friends, family and any other social circles they where part of. The main reason remix culture is such a huge thing today, is due to the internet and the fact that the majority of the world has some sort of access to the internet. Even if someone doesn't have access to the internet at home, they can go to a library, their school and even an internet cafe.

People, especially young people, no longer spend most of their evenings playing football outside, hide and seek with friends or meeting up on street corners and just chatting. They now spend their evenings on the World Wide Web, otherwise known as www. The internet has become the new playground for people young and old. however, the younger generations have been brought up only knowing technology and the internet, as being a normal, everyday part of life. They use Facebook as a way of sharing their current status in life, the events in their life and a way of talking to and sharing information with their friends. They use Twitter to chat, interact and meet new, like minded people and they use YouTube as a place of personal expression to the world. The perfect example is music, the younger generation no longer meet up with friends to go to the shops to by a new album or movie, they simply find it online, click download and depending on their internet speed have it within 5-10 minutes. Unlike older generations, who remember the days before the internet, Facebook and YouTube. The days when the only way to socialize was to meet up with friends, go out for a drink, have a party or make a phone call.

This is where the problem lies, older generations, who have control over laws such as copyright, dictate peoples free use of materials online. But younger generations use the materials provided online to express themselves, speak their mind, be creative and ultimately converse with people.

For more information on the way in which copyright works, why Remix Culture is an important part of society and why the younger generation need to be allowed to freely practice remix culture, go to the page on Lawrence Lessig.