Viacom: The Straw That Broke The Public’s Back

The corporate monster that is Viacom in no holds barred fight with YouTube has won a bid to get information on who views different videos on the internet.  This may not seem like earth shattering news to allow them to see this information to settle a lawsuit, but the reifications of this decision could open the door to more attacks on the internet user instead of in these court battles with the general public.

At what point did it become okay to make what I view and don’t view on the internet public information.  I pay good money to have spyware, cookies, viruses, and other stupidity blocked from my computer unless I want it put there. 

I don’t believe that I am viewing anything that is embarrassing or incriminating in any way, but I do not believe in an internet where “Big Brother” is watching.  This isn’t even about antiterrorism or defending our country, this is about if the free advertizing that Viacom gets from having clips of the shows it owns put on the internet and viewed by millions can be another source of revenue on top of the free advertizing. 

I suppose it well within their legal rights to do this, but it is an assault on the internet as a means of connecting with each other and still have some level of privacy and it is greed at its worst. 

I do believe that there should be some limits to how long clips can be that come from television shows etc. and I think that there should be some level of credits to the show and whatever network and so on, but to demand that the records of who viewed what is to be so cocky that you think you can bite the hand that feeds you with impunity.  That is to bee so cocky that you feel you can attack the very public that watches your shows and not feel a backlash.

I have herd and seen news about the begging’s of a new media outlet that allows small time television and movie producers and directors to make shows and get them to the viewing audiences without the control of giants such as Viacom.  That outlet is the internet.  Until I heard this report I thought the idea would be relegated to a niche market like foreign films are here in the United States.

The truth is that this is in reality the last hope we have of regaining control of our media from these corporate monsters that have grown so powerful that they no longer care what we think, like, or dislike.  The giants have decided they will dictate what we think and like instead of responding to what we think or like.  They are in an effort to tell us what to do and believe and we have little we can do to stop it. 

What are mass numbers of the United States public suddenly going to stop watching television suddenly?  Not unless there is an alternative.  We as a public have to find a way to get those not interested in working for these monsters out to the viewers at large and again create true competition that will force the monster that is television to have to totally change the way they view us the way that blogging has forced the monster that was the newspapers to have to scramble to change the way they do business.