Abstract

Viral clips of appropriated, reused, and recut commercial and governmental video and sound have by now become standard weapons of political discourse in our media-saturated societies. The content of these no-budget, amateur, and often legally dubious video clips range from mild sarcasm and mockery to cinematic salvos against multinational corporations or governments. With the growth of the Internet and relatively easy access to new digital tools, the speed and viral nature of remix video has propelled the form from a somewhat fringe-practice within the fine arts to a mass cultural phenomenon.