Xtra Credit: Blog 12_Wk_9_Viral Videos

The main point that differentiates Burgess’ argument from other Youtube theorists, is that the Youtube culture is based off of “cultural participation in the creation of cultural, social and economic value in participatory culture.” This simply means that the strength of these media sharing sites is in the fact that they encourage imitation and reproduction through sharing of media, and it is not simply a video being watched by millions of people. When you look at Drax’s work, he is emulating Burgess’ principle in action. For instance, instead of going out and performing his activist demonstrations or events in real time, he imitates these practices and imports them to Second Life, a virtual world. This makes them more accessible and lifts a lot of boundaries that crop up in real life regarding these issues. On a secondary level, Drax’s use of SL allows for more people to access the material, and thus reproduce in whichever manner they see fit. So not only is it a viral hit, but also sparks creativity and a canon of media in relation to the topic being depicted.