For those who imminently predict the death of mainstream media – mentioning no names – this review of the Snakes on a Plane phenomenon makes a point with which some might sympathise:

Still, don’t think for a moment that audiences have hijacked the ship of Big Media. The permutations of creative online infringement — fan fiction, viral videos — don’t supplant corporate entertainment but parallel it, feeding off the host object like remoras clinging to the underbelly of a shark. We need the cluelessness of the studio attempts to wring our cash. How would we make fun of them otherwise?

Would we miss them if they went away? 🙂