Where does stuff online come from?
Broadly, we can divide stuff online into two categories: free and non-free. And we can divide content creators into two categories: paid and unpaid. Today, a lot (but not all) of the free content comes from unpaid sources—and a lot (but not all) of the non-free content comes from paid sources. Of course, it’s the exceptions to this rule that are interesting and disruptive. It’s also interesting to explore the degree to which crowdsourced content is replacing content created by professionals, and the implications of this shift.
Credits: Talking: Geoffrey Challen (Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo). Producing: Greg Bunyea (Undergraduate, Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo).
Part of the https://www.internet-class.org online internet course. A blue Systems Research Group (https://www.bluegroup.systems) production.