Colin Mochrie vs. Jesus H. Christ Messages About Masculinities and Fame in Online Video Con.pdf

Colin Mochrie vs. Jesus H. Christ: Messages About Masculinities and Fame in Online Video Conversations Lori Kendall University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign loriken@ Abstract With the availability of relatively easy-to-use tools for online video creation and distribution, people are increasingly producing videos not just for artistic expression, but also as a form of communication. This article examines two types of online video conversations, one within a specific online subculture, and one a series of responses to one particularly well- known video. Videos lend themselves to the expression of ambiguity, contradictory meanings, taboo topics, and emotions. Within these two video conversations, topics include discussions of masculinity, identity, and fame. 1. Introduction Media literacy scholars have suggested that cultures in the developed world are shifting from an emphasis on text and writing to the increasing dominance of images [4, 5, 6]. Most research in this area has focused on production and dissemination of images through mass media and/or individuals and groups as image viewers and consumers. In particular, scholars and activists have emphasized the need for increasing media literacy and including instruction in visual literacy in school curricula[2]. This perspective positions young people primarily as consumers of images. But with the increasing availability of relatively easy-to-use tools for the production of still and moving images -- digital photography, Photoshop software, Macromedia (now owned by Adobe) Flash software -- as well as mechanisms for wide distribution of such images online (Flickr and other photo hosting sites; and similar hosts for, among other things, photoshopping contests; and video hosting sites such as albinoblacksheep and Newgrounds), many young people are becoming prolific producers of online multimedia content. In particular, video production, once a practice tha