Looking at Chris Crocker's "Leave Britney Alone"

1. How many viewers are estimated to have watched the youtube video?
According to Chris Crocker's youtube page this video has received 34,190,488 views to date and the Wikipedia page on Crocker states that "Within the first 24 hours of its posting, the video had accumulated over 2 million views."

2. How would you rate the video?

• Is it of high quality in technical terms? Is it interesting aesthetically eg camera angles, use of light, the narrative, and so on?

In comparison to video art and film in general I would rate this video quite low in terms of really all of these issues, however looking only at other videos of this genre I would rate this one higher. Though I found it strange that Chris Crocker sits beneath a sheet for his pro-Britney rant I actually found it pretty aesthetically pleasing. It gave the video an interesting yellowish lighting and provided a neutral backdrop. Remembering the response to this video, people had much more to say about the individual who made it than Britney herself even though it's purpose was supposedly to draw attention to the unfair way she has been treated by the media. In addition to the distinctive personality displayed in this video, I wonder if this also has to do with the fact that he has framed his shot quite like a traditional portrait that we are used to seeing in the art world. Personally, I found myself being reminded of a series of portraits by the artist Catherine Opie with a similar background while watching which then prompted me to look at this as a portrait as Crocker in the same way.











“Bo” (1991). Catherine Opie vs. a still from Chris Crocker's "Leave Britney Alone"

• Does it raise interesting socio-cultural issues?

I think that this video certainly raised interesting and important socio-cultural issues, and probably more than it's creator anticipated. Primarily it addressed media attention that is often out of control and overly critical of celebrities that can be quite detrimental to the quality of their lives. But this video also raised issues beyond that like what is going on in contemporary society to make an individual feel so strongly about what is happening to a celebrity figure that he has never even met? Is his obsession just as bad as the media figures and relentless paparazzi? Also I remember much of the discussion surrounding this video having to do with Chris Crocker's effeminate persona. He himself stated in interviews that much of his passion towards Britney has to do with her role as an icon for the gay community who happens to be from the conservative south like himself.

These are all complex issues and it's fascinating to consider that such a low-tech and brief video can touch on all of them but what I think is important to remember regarding this point is that youtube is about much more than the video itself. Many of these issues and the extent to which they were expressed via this video were seen more in the response to the video than the clip itself. What seems so significant about the youtube site is not just that anyone can post their work, but that anyone can view and respond to it. With this site we see a new type of forum for discussion and a way to expose people to numerous things they otherwise might not see. It is this two way street idea that makes youtube as powerful and significant as it is.

3. Do you think it deserved the attention that it reeived from the internet community?
Though in many ways the attention that this video received seems a bit excessive (when you compare it to all of the more "serious" and "important" issues out there that could receive this level of attention instead) but at the same time I think that it is fitting. I suppose the reason that it makes sense is the fact that it received attention in a community not dissimilar to what it is discussing for example shallow pop-culture blogs like Perez Hilton's site. What I mean by this is that within this context of online entertainment, a video like this that is commenting on issues related to online entertainment seems very relevant and therefore deserving of the attention it received.