Just as the 1960 election is remembered for being changed by television, the 2016 elections may be remembered as being changed by remix. Candidates have only recently transitioned to general election mode, but video remixes are already playing an out-sized role in swaying public opinion.
Since both major candidates have a long history in the public eye, there's no shortage of archival material for news networks and active citizens to mine, and they've been busy. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah unearthed an interview Donald Trump did with Howard Stern in 1993 in which he "can't say that" he treats women with respect. But that pales in comparison to a 1994 clip the show found from "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" where Trump sexualizes his daughter Tiffany, who was then just a year old.
Hillary Clinton hasn't been immune either. When she sat down with Chris Wallace of Fox News this past weekend, he came armed with video of FBI Director James Comey appeared to directly contradict Clinton's statements about sending classified information from her private email server. Do a search on YouTube and you'll find thousands of Clinton videos, ranging from substantial (her 2002 vote for the Iraq war, her 1996 "super predators" speech) to catty (years of her laughing).
These videos provide fodder for remix, which can show candidates contradicting themselves over the course of many years and holding opinions which may have at one time been acceptable to large numbers of Americans but which in hindsight are clearly racist, misogynist or ill-informed. Remix allows us to juxtapose these clips in powerful ways. MSNBC used this to question Donald Trump's links to Russian president Vladimir Putin, and YouTube creator Michael Armstrong did something similar in his "Hillary Clinton lying for 13 minutes straight" video remix, which has received over 10 million views.
Plus, the candidates themselves are putting remix to work. In May, the Clinton campaign released a video remix of leading Republicans making damning comments about Donald Trump, and just two weeks ago her "Role Models" ad pummeled National Convention viewers with some of Trump's greatest hits slamming women, Mexicans and the disabled. And Donald Trump's campaign has released remixes damning Clinton's circle of friends over the last few decades, and a pro-Trump super PAC created an ad using video from the 1990s combined with tweets from Clinton herself.
If the past few months are any indication, we can expect to see many more campaign remixes in the months leading up to the election. Hopefully, they'll not just from the campaigns themselves, but from everyday citizens eager to make their voices heard and contribute to a larger discussion about the future of our country. Initiatives like The LAMP's Break the Election provide tools and resources to help make more remixes possible, and encourage civic engagement.
At the same time, an election season of remixes makes it important for everyone, remixers and non-remixers alike, to remember some basic media literacy principles:
- Context: The clips you're viewing and remixing didn't happen in a vacuum. What happened before and after? What isn't being shown?
- Sources: Are the clips from a credible source? Have they been altered in any way? Are sources cited?
- Purpose: What is the purpose of the remix? Is it for or against a particular candidate?
- Authorship: Who produced the remix, and who produced the clips being used? What do you know about the author's intent or agenda?
Stay tuned for more news, and get plenty of resources for decoding media, by following us on Twitter at @thelampnyc or visiting us online at www.thelamp.org.