First there was text, then photos, then music, and now with the broadband revolution, there is video -- uploaded onto the Web, that is. Video clips of every description are being uploaded and shared through sites such as YouTube and Google Video.
Web sites such as these provide platforms for users to upload videos, and from which they become freely available to anyone with an Internet connection to watch.
YouTube was founded in February last year, but didn't become well known until December, when a user uploaded a popular clip from the US TV show Saturday Night Live. NBC Universal, which owned the copyright, asked YouTube to remove the video, but by the time the furor had blown over, YouTube had become a popular location to search for recently released, or hard-to-find video clips.
Naturally there are regulations against infringements of copyright or the up-loading of clips with explicit content, but with so many videos up-loaded per day, such content is not usually removed until after a complaint is submitted, by which time thousands of Internet users have probably viewed the video.
From movie trailers, often leaked prior to a film's official release, to homevideo footage of, for example, the 2005 Taipei 101 New Year's Day countdown, there is a mass of material available for viewing.
Back-packers often show off their travels and provide a commentary. Others aim at social satire. For instance, one popular clip on YouTube, with an incredible 1.5 million views, is titled Crazy Asian Mother, a skit by young Asian-Americans that pokes fun at the stereotypical Asian mother, showing "how Asian parents really act when children get B+ [grades at school]."
Typing "Taiwan" into these video sites usually produces a selection of video clips that show the island's beauty, attest to the country's chaotic society and reveal stereotypical images of the nation, such as images of sexy woman at various night spots. Clips of this last tenor often elicit viewer comments such as, "I'm booking my flight to Taiwan after seeing this video!"
"My classmates and I most commonly view and upload funny videos or clips from popular variety shows such as edited highlight segments from Everyone Talks Nonsense (
Students, Li said, usually upload video clips or provide links on Wretch Album and Blog (無名), one of the most popular chat, video, and picture sites among Taiwan's youth. Unlike the international and professionally run sites that rate and systematically file every upload, these local sites are usually less organized and are shared between friends.
Why do they bother?
According to Li, "I'm eager to share [video clips like] these with others, as I often view whatever is being offered by others."
In all of this sharing, Li does not give much thought to the legal implications, "because none of us are actually selling anything," he said
Many of these recorded videos circulate in China and it's not unusual to find clips of Taiwan programs carrying subtitles in simplified characters. "Often, maybe one hour after a segment of a variety show has aired for the first time in Taiwan, you'll get a condensed, edited version uploaded on various Web sites. Most of these shows are either banned or not available in China."
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