NOTES: Origins and Context | See Also
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Origins of this content
This texteo features a video made by kimballzen in Fall 2008 for an assignment about Henry Jenkin's writings on media convergence. I made the second video for the Fall 2007 class as my contribution to our popularity project. I agreed that if one of their videos got over one million hits in a matter of a few weeks, I'd learn the Soulja Boy Dance (they'd also get an A for the assignment and not have to do the final). One video, "NEW MUSIC VIDEO Alicia Keys - No One," did win the prize (by ripping and reposting a new Alicia Keys video), but it was taken off YouTube for copyright infringement right when it hit a million views.
Contextualization
According to Henry Jenkins media convergence is "a whole range of new technologies enable consumers to archive, annotate, appropriate, and recirculate media content and in the process, these technologies have altered the ways that consumers interact with core institutions of government, education, and commerce."[cit]

Soulja Boy Tell'em writes on MySpace: "What began as juddering camcorder footage in his basement mutated into a worldwide phenomenon. You've memorized the infectious hooks. The dance has been inexorably burned into your muscle memory. And the numbers confirm what you already know: 400 million views on YouTube; over five million downloads of the pandemic single, Crank That (Soulja Boy)."[cit]

One of my ten founding terms for this project is access. A greater number of individuals from more diverse cross-sections of society need to make, see, and understand radical or expressive media.
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More videos related to the content of this page
YOUTUBE IS A CONVERGENCE SUPERCONDUCTOR

Video gains momentum (but maybe not impact) through convergence. Images move aimlessly and with little resistance across platforms, relying upon the power of ready-made media already encrusted with meaning (and ownership) for their steam.

So easy, even (me and my) children can join the fun.