User:KyannaYeager/Remix (book)

Hybrid Economies
There are three economies that Lessig introduced in his book. The first is the commercial economy. Commercial Economies at their very center value money the most and build value around the monetary. Second to this is the sharing economy which completely ignores money as an item of value and instead focuses on valuing things that are not monetary. But settled in between the two is a third, the hybrid economy. He asserts that the hybrid economy will be the dominant force with the rise of the web, and in order for it thrive the two economies from which it borrows from must be preserved. Conceptually the monetizing nature from the commercial, and the 'lending' quality of the sharing economy are necessary to ensure that the hybrid doesn't lose sight of economic gain or doesn't lose the willingness to obtain economic resources.

The Internet and Commons

The internet is essentially the hub for this type of economy. With more people utilizing it as a platform for sharing and monetizing, the internets primary function is split in two. In order for people to 'Remix' they need the internet for it's open and free design.

Most of the debate in Remix is in regard to ownership. When it comes to the internet ownership has become a murky subject. Companies who originated a piece of work are owners of that product, but only if it is copyrighted and protected legally. That being said, people without access to these legalities are unprotected and liable to get their idea's and content stolen. This is where the commons becomes prevalent.

The commons are resources that are available for everyone equally in a certain group. The internet was invented for flexible accessibility and thus facilitates innovation. This is Lessig's philosophy, however the issue comes with a price tag. The fight to define who own's a creative work of art if it contains other works not owned by the party is what Lessig says is "killing creativity". Although people have become used to this, he argue's that it is for this reason that he claims that it is an attempt at "counterrevolution".

Free Software

Notably Richard Stallman is vocal about his stance on the positive repercussions of utilizing free software, namely  Linux. Essentially both Stallman and Lessig are on the same page. When it comes to 'hybrid' economies, Linux fits the description with its selling point being "benefits", instead of "features". This on its own has no standing for 'justice' but rather the profitability of such a software.

Remixing is this softwares very nature. The appeal is to 'sell' the benefits of its use. People no longer have to wait for a company to fix bugs, or other issues with the software and instead they can collaborate and do it themselves. This can be done with other software, but the downside is that legally with paid proprietary software