Imagine traveling back in time to the late 90s. Remember the catchy tune “All-Star” by Smash Mouth? In 2016, this song made a surprising comeback as a remix meme, captivating audiences once again. Creators from around the world, like Jon Sudano from New Jersey, began crafting unique covers using only the lyrics of “All-Star.” Others, like a Japanese creator, played the song using calculators. This transformation of a 90s hit into a modern artistic medium highlights the power of remixes in engaging our minds.
Remixes are fascinating because they involve participatory creativity. This concept suggests that creativity is not just an individual endeavor but a product of social systems. Creators are part of a network of influences and information, producing new variations of existing ideas. The internet, especially platforms like YouTube, has become a hub for this kind of creativity. It allows people to easily access and contribute to a remix culture, where collective intelligence thrives through collaboration.
So, why do we enjoy watching remixes of familiar content? The answer lies in cognitive fluency, which measures how easily our brains process information. Remixes are easy to digest because they build on something we already know. Additionally, they tap into our sense of nostalgia, a powerful emotion that can enhance our mood and even make us feel physically warmer. Nostalgic songs, in particular, hold significant sway over our emotions.
Remixes often incorporate humor through incongruity theory, where comedy arises from unexpected combinations of elements. A prime example is the 2015 Shia LaBeouf motivational speech remixes, which became popular due to their absurdity. These remixes played with our assumptions, creating a humorous and engaging experience.
Beyond entertainment, remixes can have a profound impact. In 2011, the “Zenga Zenga” remix critiqued Libya’s leader Gaddafi, using his own words to portray him in a new light. This remix changed public perception, demonstrating the power of remixes in shaping narratives and influencing opinions.
Today, remixes are an integral part of political discourse, often accompanying election cycles and protests. They can strengthen arguments by presenting evidence in a compelling way, playing to our confirmation biases. By showcasing repeated phrases or themes, remixes provide convincing evidence of long-suspected ideas.
Ultimately, remixes captivate us because they offer repetitive, easy-to-digest media that resonates with our emotions and beliefs. They are a language of the internet, reflecting the diverse and curious nature of human creativity. Remixes allow our voices to be heard in new and exciting ways.
So, consider the power of the remix. Embrace this creative phenomenon and explore the endless possibilities it offers. Just do it.
Choose a popular song or video and create your own remix using digital tools. Focus on incorporating elements of humor or nostalgia. Share your creation with the class and discuss the creative choices you made and how they relate to the concepts of cognitive fluency and participatory creativity.
Select a well-known remix from the internet and analyze its components. Identify the original elements and the new additions. Discuss how these changes affect the audience’s perception and why the remix might be engaging or humorous. Present your findings in a short presentation.
Engage in a debate on the impact of remixes in modern culture. Divide into two groups: one arguing that remixes enhance creativity and communication, and the other arguing that they can dilute original content. Use examples from the article and your own research to support your arguments.
Conduct a workshop exploring the role of nostalgia in remixes. Share examples of remixes that evoke strong emotional responses. Discuss how nostalgia influences our enjoyment of remixes and the psychological effects it can have. Reflect on personal experiences with nostalgic media.
Research a political remix that has influenced public opinion or discourse. Analyze how the remix uses repetition and humor to convey its message. Discuss the ethical implications of using remixes in political contexts and how they can shape narratives. Present your analysis in a written report.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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I hope you’re ready to travel back in time. Here’s an idea: remixes engage our minds. There are scientific concepts that explain why.
In mid-2016, you were reminded that you’re an all-star when Smash Mouth’s hit song from 1999 saw a sudden resurgence. “All-Star” became a popular remix meme, and videos like this started appearing. A creator from New Jersey, Jon Sudano, makes covers of various songs using only the lyrics to “All-Star.” A Japanese creator played the song using calculators. Very quickly, “All-Star” transformed from a 90s earworm into an artistic medium. This new meaning and relevance were generated by the audience, where diverse individuals came together to create.
My previous videos explored the neuroscience of creativity and practical tips to enhance it. This video will examine creativity through the lens of the remix. By remix, I mean a new work composed of reorganized or reinterpreted pieces of an existing work, such as a video meme, an auto-tuned song, a supercut, or a mashup. And there’s one thing all of these formats have in common: we love to watch them.
So… why? Why is it so enjoyable to watch something you’ve probably already seen or heard being reproduced in a new way? At the heart of the remix is the idea of participatory creativity, where what we call creativity is not the product of single individuals, but of social systems. Imagine the creator as part of a system of influences and information, producing a novel variation of ideas already circulating in that system. Right now, you’re in one of these systems… on YouTube.
One of the best ways to understand human creativity today is by studying the internet. Broadcasting used to be a hard-to-access medium. The internet, with its distractions and engaging content, has given rise to this particular and easily digestible format. YouTube has been described as a remix culture, “in which youth, operating collectively, combine existing material to produce their own work.” Through this culture, collective intelligence emerges, a group intelligence that comes from the collaboration of many individuals. Collective intelligence and participatory creativity fuel each other. We generate more ideas and influences into the system, leading to more creative output.
Creativity is often seen as a mental process, but it’s also a social and cultural event as much as a psychological one. Because together, we can create something wonderful.
So why is it so enjoyable to watch something being reproduced in a new way? The repetition of the remix and familiarity with the original content make it particularly easy to digest. At the core of this is cognitive fluency – it’s a measure of how easy it is to think about something. Your brain is drawn to information it can process easily. The remix also appeals to our sense of nostalgia. Nostalgia is a complex human emotion – research has found that songs that evoke nostalgia hold significant power over our feelings. Nostalgia can make us feel better about ourselves and even physically warmer.
In 2015, it was particularly hard to avoid Shia LaBeouf. A thirty-one-minute compilation video was created for a show at a London art school, and because the green screen footage was designed to be easily manipulated, professional remixers around the world took action. The original instructions from the art school weren’t intended to be humorous, but the funny remixes became our way of participating. The appeal of these remixes lay in their absurdity. We find things funny when they don’t match our implicit assumptions – this is known as incongruity theory, where comedy arises from unexpected cognitive encounters between incongruent elements. In these videos, Shia appears wild and robotic yet interacts with the environment he’s placed in. To our brains, it makes sense, yet is completely unexpected. This motivational speech became one of the most popular art pieces of the year.
Now, you may be wondering: why should anyone care about this? The remix can have a significant impact. In 2011, the remix “Zenga Zenga” provided a rare critique of Libya’s then-leader Gaddafi and his four-decade rule, using his own words and actions. The creator, Noy Alooshe, noted that Gaddafi’s eccentricities had made him seem relatable, but after the remix, he became almost cartoonish. “It changed the way people think about Gaddafi,” he said.
Today, no world leader can escape the remixes that accompany election cycles, political events, and protests. A supercut in the language of the original creator can strengthen an argument or make it more compelling. We see a narrative form emerge from disparate works, often mesmerizing in the scope of material involved. This remix often plays to our confirmation biases – without commentary, we interpret information in a way that confirms our preexisting beliefs. Many supercuts provide hard evidence of the existence of long-suspected tropes.
The point of showing repeated phrases is much stronger than simply stating that “Aaron Sorkin uses the same phrases.” My argument is accentuated by just showing you the evidence. The repetition is the most convincing and compelling way to make a point.
Remixes engage our minds because we crave repetitive, easy-to-digest media. We gain an emotional boost from humor and nostalgia, and we love finding evidence that confirms something we’ve long suspected or already believe. Remixing is the language of the internet – the products of this participatory creativity are as wonderful, curious, and even confusing as we are. It’s a new way for our voices to be heard.
So… consider the power of the remix. Go on. Just do it.
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This version removes any potentially sensitive or inappropriate content while maintaining the essence of the original transcript.
Remixes – Artistic works that are created by altering or combining existing pieces to produce a new interpretation or version. – The art students explored the concept of remixes by combining classical paintings with modern digital techniques to create innovative visual experiences.
Creativity – The use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness in artistic expression. – The professor encouraged creativity in her students by allowing them to explore unconventional materials in their sculpture projects.
Nostalgia – A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, often in the context of art and culture. – The theater production evoked nostalgia by incorporating music and costumes from the 1980s, resonating with audiences who grew up during that era.
Culture – The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively, often influencing artistic expression. – The exhibition showcased how contemporary artists draw inspiration from their diverse cultural backgrounds to create unique works.
Humor – The quality of being amusing or entertaining, often used in performing arts to engage and connect with the audience. – The comedian’s use of humor in her performance highlighted social issues while keeping the audience entertained and thoughtful.
Collaboration – The action of working with someone to produce or create something, especially in the arts. – The dance performance was a result of collaboration between choreographers and musicians, blending movement and sound seamlessly.
Media – The various means of communication, such as television, radio, and the internet, that are used to reach and influence people, often utilized in art to convey messages. – The digital art class explored how different media can be used to enhance storytelling in visual arts.
Emotions – Intense feelings that are expressed or evoked through artistic performances and artworks. – The actor’s portrayal of the character’s emotions was so powerful that it moved the audience to tears.
Discourse – Written or spoken communication or debate, often related to the discussion of themes and ideas in art. – The art history seminar focused on the discourse surrounding the impact of political movements on 20th-century art.
Influence – The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, especially in the arts. – The influence of Renaissance techniques is evident in the painter’s use of light and shadow in his contemporary works.
