I’m sure in the current digital age, we are so used to having free access to majority of the materials online to help us in studies, work or research. However according to Simon-Kucher & Partners of global pricing consultancy says that we may not continue to enjoy free Open Access Materials for much longer (Lepitak, 2013) as their recently conducted survey found that in the coming years as much as 90% of online content will find itself behind a paywall (Lepitak, 2013). This sounds outrages to me, should we have access to all materials without the need to pay?
Here’s a video I’ve made to show the Advantages and Disadvantages
of having Open Access to materials online.
CHECK IT OUT : HERE!!!
You might notice a watermark on the video because I’ve selected the ‘Free Trial’ option to create this video, and noticing about that made me realize…
That in this case, it is a clear example on what happens when content producers desire credit and profit for his work be it on images, articles or reports. The “content producer” (GoAnimate) watermarks their videos made using the ‘Free Trial’ to convince users to feel the need of subscribing to their software paid plans. Furthermore as everyone knows that having a watermark on any content is an eyesore as it introduces a distracting visual element that doesn’t belong to the content.
It’s sad people are less generous these days.
After all the research, my opinion on this is that LEARNING IS SHARING; we should not be selfish for the sake of future generations. There are more benefits to making content free online and not everyone can afford to pay for all the content they need. What if they paid for an article only to realize that it doesn’t help them at all? Knowledge and wisdom has to be passed down for people to grow in thinking and creativity. If people are not willing to pay for online content in the future, what will they be learning from other than books or maybe YouTube?
I’m eager to see what my other classmates have to say about this issue, see you in my next reflection post!
xoxo
References :
LEPITAK, S., 2013. 90% of online content to be held behind paywalls in three years media company survey suggests | The Drum. The Drum. Available at: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/04/12/90-online-content-be-held-behind-paywalls-three-years-media-company-survey-suggests [Accessed December 9, 2014].
Mathôt, S., 2012. The difference between freely accessible content and Open Access. Available at: http://www.cogsci.nl/blog/miscellaneous/192-the-difference-between-freely-accessible-content-and-open-access [Accessed December 9, 2014].
Peters, D., The Pros and Cons of Watermarks | explora. 2012. Available at: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/content/pros-and-cons-watermarks [Accessed December 9, 2014].
Publisher, E., Advantages and Disadvantages of Open Access | edanz editing global. 2013. Available at: http://www.edanzediting.com/blog/advantages_and_disadvantages_open_access#.VIcKNIsxHPA [Accessed December 9, 2014].
Video made from : GoAnimate
Animate, G., Make Business Video | Animated Video Production | GoAnimate.com. Available at: http://goanimate.com/ [Accessed December 9, 2014].
Sherdale. G 
Hey Sherdale,
Loved the video that you created, it was concise and easy to understand!
I share the same sentiments as you on many levels and I definitely agree with you that “learning is sharing”. After all, that’s how society as a whole advances over the years right? I also liked how you pointed out the fact that many content producers make use of watermarks to claim their own work as they would not want their efforts to be plagiarised or have someone else claim credit for.
A couple of questions though, do you think open access carries more advantages or disadvantages? Also, do you think there will be a solution regarding the sustainability issue of providing free content online?
Personally, I feel that the benefits gained from open access outweigh the costs that publishers incur. Was wondering if you share the same sentiments as well?
Overall, great job and good effort put in!
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Hello Corrine! Yay glad you liked it (:
I think it carries more advantages because it helps people in many ways. Yes! you can check this link out Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition(SPARC) http://www.sparc.arl.org/initiatives/funds they supports experimentation with open access funds across institutions of all shapes and sizes. By making it easier for authors to publish in open access journals, campus open access funds foster experimentation with new and innovative publishing models across the research community. Lastly i agree on your view on benefits outweighing costs, we should all be sharing info with one another and not keeping it to ourselves.
cheers!
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Hi Sherdale,
I enjoyed the read and great job with the video!
Similarly to Corinne, I liked how you pointed out the fact that many content producers make use of watermarks to claim their own work as they would not want their efforts to be plagiarised or have someone else claim credit for.
I chance upon interesting article that mentioned how pointless watermark on image were to preventing copyright theft, in fact the only way to prevent this is by filing and registering with the Copyright office online (Not mentioning PAYING a fee for it).
http://scottkelby.com/2010/i-can-remove-your-watermark-with-no-problem/
While some may also debate the point that the watermark is just a marketing gimmick to reach out to more people. Similarly to you, I’m in strong favour for Open access. However, I would like to know your views on how we could better protect the researcher’s works from being misuse and/or plagiarise if he/she was to choose Open access over staying behind paywall.
Personally, I feel our society are not well educated enough on giving people credit for the work they have done.
Overall, great post! Keep it up 🙂
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Hey Sherdale!
The fact that in the coming years as much as 90% of online content will find itself behind a paywall (Lepitak, 2013) has got we worried about our online access in gaining knowledge in the future. Moreover, your idea of “Learning is Sharing” made a very firm stand in your argument. Open Access has helped me a lot in doing researches as a university student and guided me in discussion and evaluation of particular topics without spending a penny! Hence, I’m worry that the quality of the free content online would be affected with the introduction of paywall.
From the author perspective, recognition may be an issue despite realizing that knowledge has to be passed down for a better future. Besides accreditation, what do you think are the other factors that restrict our free access to information online? How would it affect the communication in the digital environment?
Daphne
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Your posting is abltuloesy on the point!
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