Popular Culture Media and Society: Culture Jamming Essay

IntroductionCulture mess is a schema much utilized by the anti- globoseization movement in the creation and reappropriation of memes, or unforgettable and persistent ideas. Traditional goal pack strategies nurse include a variety of actions, ranging from billboard libearned run averagetion, wherein artists reclaim billboards as public aloofness, to media activism, wherein activists commence to garner saucilys coverage finished some form of conduce action in society of battle to consecrate their message hear.Additional tactical manoeuvre such(prenominal) as spoof advertisements ge atomic human activity 18d to mock a incident brand or pains and branding removal, wherein activists remove all attach of branding from products, stick also been deployed. Culture jammers attempt to expose the norms of westerly industrial society and call them into question tho often their attempts be non general enough to reach a large listening and encourage a large scale teasin g of the status quo. The goals of the nuance electronic crowd together fellowship argon to introduce new norms into societies that effectively crimp back the substances of current social norms.Despite the best intentions of those working within the movement, handed-d throw market-gardening jamming r arly makes it into fine-tuneular husbandry and is consequently often thwarted in the attempt to productively challenge the norms perpetuated by globoseization.The purpose of this study is to examine the ways in which refining jamming that circularizes the media and crosses the line from sub last to pop refining fundament challenge hegemonic structures of top executive eon simultaneously reinforcing those challenges by increasing their favoriteity. Through the study of everyday culture artifacts from a variety of literary genres I hope to determine whether or not popular culture whitethorn serve as an effective strategic forum for the introduction of culture jamming artifacts, as opposed to the traditional and more subversive manoeuvre being deployed by culture jammers.Towards an judgement of Culture JammingCulture jamming and studies of culture jamming have typically focused on the ability of an activist congregation or individual to effectively redeploy the signs and symbols of a ascendant system in a manner that disrupts their importee and critiques the overall system from which the symbols originate. In his late republished 1993 pamphlet on culture jamming, Mark Dery (2001) states that culture jammers introduce ring into the signal as it passes from transmitter to receiver, encouraging idiosyncratic, unintended interpretations. Intruding on the intruders, they invest ads, newscasts, and other media artifacts with subversive meanings simultaneously, they decrypt them, rendering their seductions impotent (para. 36).From Derys perspective culture jamming potfulnister be liven as actions or artifacts that are politically or subversive ly charged. Jamming can range from fraudulence to media gags, but always aims to make a statement against a divulgeicular(prenominal) tar lay of power or popularity within a culture.Similarly, semiotic idealogue Umberto Eco (1984) advocates that ace form of media can be utilized to cattle farm literary criticism confidential informationed at another type of medium in order to bear on a critical dimension to passive reception (p. 138). Eco refers to acts and artifacts that have this electromotive force to be part of semiotic guerilla warfare. The signs and symbols of a culture are open to interpretation. dapple within a culture there may be a common meaning for these signs and symbols within a culture that meaning is not set in stone. A sign or a symbol may be used to contradict its ingest popular meaning. Thus we can see how semiotics plays an fundamental share in developing tools for the toolbox of the culture jammer. The lack of fixed meaning in the signs we see on a d aily basis agree on culture jammers to turn back symbols as semiotic weapons against their creators.Kalle Lasn (2000) defines culture jamming as the demarketing of marketing. As the founder of Adbusters magazine, Lasn has pushed for the reclaiming and redeployment of accompaniment brand names, icons, and advertisement campaigns with a process cognize to culture jammers as subvertising. Lasn explains in his book, Culture Jam that culture jammers utilize Debords notion of detournement, or turning back specific aspects of a spectacle against itself. In the case of culture jamming, brands and their advertising are dark back upon themselves to reveal questions and inconsistencies about a particular advertisers ideals as seen through its campaigns.Lasn (2000) also claims that successful culture jamming can function as a nestling movement utilizing both high profile media campaigns that challenge industry in combination with grass roots campaigns for local anaesthetic action. The challenge to an industry or target combined with encouragement of appearanceal variety show has the potential to miscellany the perception of the target on a broad scale date also reducing support for the target.A well-organized pincer give get millions of people thinking about their livesabout eating better, driving less, jumping off the fashion treadmill, down veering. Eventually the national mood will bourgeon (pg136).Lasns pincer attack attempts to make that which is currently chic or popular in a society unpopular on a massive scale. As fewer people within the society barter for into the physical bodyry of a particular industry or brand the industry loses financial support and must(prenominal) either budge its practices or character rejection by the community at large.Lasn has spear headed grass roots campaigns such as Buy Nothing Day an annual campaign goad consumers to avoid buying anything on the last Friday of November (a date commonly known among retailers as Black Friday as it often marks record cyberspace for retailers as a result of holiday shopping). Lasn combines this grassroots campaign with thirty-second television ad spots on CNN each year as well as more locally oriented promotion such as fliers that activists can print off the mesh and disseminate at will.Christine Harold (2004) claims that the culture jammer seeks to undermine the marketing rhetoric of multinational corporations, specifically through such practices as media hoaxing, bodied sabotage, billboard liberation, and trademark infringement (p. 190). These strategies are used by jammers in an effort to glut the system by supplying audiences with contradictory messages. Their goal is to generate a qualitative stir in the minds of the audience about the subject matter targeted.Harold (2004) critiques traditional culture jamming as a rhetorical strategy because it often relies upon apocalypse of hidden truths and rejection of the systems it attempts to play upon. In her analysis, Harold specifically indicts Lasns publications and others who deploy takeoff or direct negation of corporate logos in their attempts to cause questioning of norms. Reliance on parody as a mechanism for bring out truth requires audiences to deconstruct the common meaning of a sign with microscopical to work with but the sign itself. Additionally, parody causes a commitment to rhetorical binaries that articulate rejection of the targeted idea with little room for the idea to be reframed. overriding powers within a criticized system can comfortably utilize these tactics for their own means. The reliance on a recognized symbol helps to offer its pagan prominence. The rhetorical binary used by culture jammers allows the targeted entity to easily deflect criticism and quash the questioning of norms. charm Adbusters and activists of similar ideology may put forth a message of rebellion and rejection corporate targets can use these concepts of rebellion and rejection to sell their products. Recent advertisements for Sprite expound this concept well as they focus on rejecting celebrity culture and embracing ones own character by buying the product.Harold (2004) advocates a more appropriative approach to culture jamming seeks to be appropriated by commercial media in order to redirect the focus of dominant media systems. Much of Harolds argument focuses on the value of media activism via prank, pointing to groups such as the Barbie Liberation Organization (BLO) and Biotic Baking Brigade (BBB) as groups that have successfully received positive media coverage through their pranks.Clearly, we can see that culture jamming may be an effective strategy for move dominant hierarchies, organizations, and systems into question. up to now, Reinsborough and Harold (2004) both raise interesting points in terms of the military strength of the strategy, with Harold illustrating the problems of strategies that are not appropriative and Reinsborough recognizing that subversive media strategies (such as those Harold advocates) are often limited in scope.When considering Reinsboroughs (2003) usage of the word meme the concept that he is referring to is not necessarily identical to that articulated by memetic theorists. Susan Blackmore (1999) has broadly outlined memes as everything that you have learned by assumed (pg6).The definition of simulated from a memetic perspective should not be confused with copycat acts. Instead, imitation should be seen as memes passing from one mind to another. In his word on culture jammers and the World Wide Web, Stephen Downes (1999) defines the meme as a patrimonial idea that opens from one mind to another (para. 2). He articulates that memes are a way to represent the ideas contained within advertising and explains that in order for ideas to take hold in ones mind they must supplicant to the audience in a way that helps them to be remembered.Similarly, Kalle Lasn (2000) speaks of infotoxins, or infovi ruses, that permeate dominant media forums. Lasn claims that disinformation is propagated through media and public relations spin resulting in the organic law of incorrect beliefs about the world. In one example, Lasn refers to the medias portrayal of anti-automobile activists as limiters of personal freedom as a contributing factor in the failure of activists to popularize their message. The movement becomes unable to stimulate a lookout shift towards a culture that is less dependent upon petroleum products. As the activists are seen as anti-freedom harms they are attempting to solve such as global warming are not taken seriously.Additionally, he argues that while the set up of global warming can be seen on both local and global scales, disinformation that has been spread through dominant media forums has led to a sniff out of complacency about the issue in the minds of the Statesns. Lasn believes these infoviruses are untruthful memes that must be challenged through the produc tion of counter dynamic memes that outperform those that movements wish to question. We realize our own meme factory, put out a better product and quake the corporations at their own game. We identify the macromemes and the metamemesthe core ideas without which a sustainable coming(prenominal) is unthinkableand deploy them (pg124).Both Reinsborough (2003) and Lasn (2000) seem to be identifying that memes are memorable and popular concepts that have the ability to be spread in order to interpret cultural norms. Blackmore (1999) and Downes (1999) clearly illustrate that memes are made up of ideas that are picked up from popular culture and imitated. The process of culture jamming can be seen as one generating memes that hold a meaning that challenges existing norms. To return to the analogy of the gene, culture jamming can be seen as a form of memetic engineering with a goal of producing a dominant and meaningful meme that causes new traits, or meanings, to become exemplified with in a culture. concord the Transformative Potential of ordinary CultureCommunication and mass media scholars have examined the extent to which popular culture may contribute to the formation of cultural norms and social structure. Guy Debord (1977) implicates popular culture in large constituent of what he labels the society of the spectacle. Debords (1977) view of the world in the era of global capitalism is one in which popular culture serves to leave behind images or representations of the world that do not represent its historical state, but instead inspire audiences to digest the world around them as commodities as a replacement for the real.Artifacts such as films are not exercise of art, but are tools to inspire audiences to strive towards the acquisition of consumer goods and wonder the gradable structure. Debord (1977) points out that the society of the spectacle is replete with images and representations that drive audiences to become consumers. This using up leads a udiences to respect the structural hierarchies that repress them. In essence, the complacency most audiences have towards the consumption of images and subsequently the world around them drives this structuralism.While Debord (1977) implicates popular culture and the spectacle as paramount in the construction of a social order of consumption, he does offer some hope for those striving to work against the consumptive temperament of capitalist hierarchies in the form of detournement By creating contradictions, negations, or parodies of a granted work, corrections can be made to the meaning of the work in order to create a meaning that is more representative of the certain states of societies.Marshall McLuhan (1964) argued in his groundbreaking work, Understanding Media, that popular culture go through a drastic shift with the advent of technologies such as film, intercommunicate set and television. Whereas popular culture had been print dominated in years previous, the shift to new types of media changed the way media was created and the effect was dramatic. McLuhan argues that the introduction of printed schoolbooks into cultures undermined the tribal aspect of communities and corporal ideas that had once dominated small communities.Cultures became more individualistic and increased the power of logic and rationale of the written word as opposed to vulgarism among group members. The advent of new media brought about a more corporal consciousness as individuals were drawn to its aesthetics. New tribal communities formed that were grow in both local and global norms. Audience exposure to new and different sights and sounds increased the shared understanding across cultures. McLuhan also illustrates that the spread of media united people as a result of the medias magnificence by comparing media to staples of a societys economy.Television, for example, can be used to construct the cultural norms of a society. Those people who are active audience members of a particular television show or genre are likely to have shared beliefs, forming a tribal community of their own. McLuhan argued that the community building potential of television and the syndication of programming created the potential for these cultures to spread globally.While McLuhans work was performed in the 1960s the subsequent popularity of the Internet seems to confirm at the very least that communities of people who make up television audiences extend worldwide as fan sites, bulletin boards, and blogs devote to television programs cross multiple borders and cultures. Television, much of McLuhans media, is a part of popular culture. Research has also been conducted suggesting that popular culture has the ability to affirm existing cultural norms or as a tool in exchangeing current norms.Lee Artz (2004) has examined the cultural norms that are present in the raft of the animation produced by the Walt Disney Co. Artz argues that the autocratic production process embr aced by Disney executives results in four dominant themes present in nearly every inspire film the company has released. These themes include the naturalization of hierarchy, the defense of elite coercion and power, promotion of hyper-individualism and the denigration of democratic solidarity (p. 126). The prevalence of these themes can be determine through study of the narratives contained within Disney films as well as through the stylistic elements of the animation itself.The ease with which animated film can be translated and transported into the languages and cultures of peoples worldwide offers a large audience to Disney in marketing its films and film-related products. The portability of Disney products from one culture to another is a problematic notion for Artz (2004), as he explains the social stratification present and reaffirmed in the films produced is largely representative of the global capital system that allows Disney to thrive as a media giant.Artz suggests that effective oppositeness against these thematic representations cannot be implemented by rogue Disney artists injecting subversive messages into films. Instead, joint creations and narratives and the appropriation and subsequent use of animation technology by artists, writers, and producers move to the promotion of democracy would be more effective.This conclusion appears to be impirically proven. While not discussed in Artzs work, subversive strategies have been employed by disgruntled artists involved in the production of Disney films (such as the post-production inclusion of an image of a topless woman in the background artwork of The Rescuers). However these acts did not generate substantial negative publicity for the company.Peter Simonson (2001) has examined the successes the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of animals (PETA) have experienced as a result of using conference strategies rooted in popular culture. PETA seeks to change predominant cultural norms in the area of animal welfare.Their traditional communicative strategies have relied on the generating news controversy and gaining news coverage. Simonson proposes that social movements and organizations seek to change popular morals or norms rely upon social interventiona multifaceted concept that can be defined as messages that are compelling or loud enough to be heard amidst the signals of mass-media. Noise disrupts commonly held social meanings and is often discordant or vexatious to a subset of the audience.Scholars have also focused on what makes a particular artifact or action popular. John Fiske (1989) studied culture as popular culture in terms of texts. By making textual analysis of artifacts in popular culture, Fiske began to make claims about the structure of popular messages. Fiske introduced the concept of the producerly text as a primary characteristic of popular culture. The producerly text is conceptually anchored in the distinctions made by Barthes (1977 ) between the writerly and readerly texts.Barthes contends that readerly texts are those that we are able to read passively. Interactions between the audience and these texts are open(a) there is no need to question or interpret the text in a different way than it is written. Writerly texts can be seen as those texts that require the reader to constantly evaluate and rewrite the meaning of the text, and writerly texts normally require some specialized knowledge or a toolset to rewrite (Fiske 1989).Many scholars and activists concur that there is a risk when entering into pop culture that the rhetoric used by those critiquing dominant ideologies and structures may be co-opted. The potential exists for the message to be appropriated by those in power for their own means the message becomes incorporated by those in power in order to embolden their own claims or profits. The same process that allows activists to change the meaning of texts is available to everyone.Popular culture has the potential to create and transform both societal structure and norms. Additionally, communities of common exposure and belief can be developed using popular culture as a medium. There may be a risk of that subversive ideas can be incorporated by dominant systems of power, but this incorporation does not necessarily limit the transformative potential popular culture holds. When considering the culture jammers intent of questioning and changing norms popular culture becomes an interesting point of cultural injection.ConclusionIn essence, the popular culture jam seeks to be appropriated into pop culture- it becomes pop culture and helps to redefine that which is popular. The result is a furcate of subpropriation, where in the author seeks to have his or her work popularized in order to simultaneously popularize a previously subversive concept or idea. However, this appeal to the popular does not necessarily stop culture jamming from occurring. Entry into popular culture does not di ctate that the message will be recuperated by industry. Rather, popular culture jamming takes place at a different point than other types of culture jamming. The jam in popular culture jamming occurs at the point that the artifact, action, or behavior becomes popular.The most obvious effect of moving towards a jamming of popular culture is the increased access to larger audiences. Popular culture does not request to be covered in the same way that news-oriented communication or advertisements often do. Instead, popular culture places demands upon media outlets to not only be covered but also be distributed to the masses. This sense of demand results because the popular is attractive to the media as a potential form of profit.Again, we see Fiskes (1989) theories on production and incorporation at work. A popular culture jam spreads as a result of its popularity. Often this popularity is created by the resistless profits that may be yielded from an artifacts incorporation into the pop ular. In essence, one aspect of the structures that propagate and allow for globalization (and the subsequent problems that those in anti-globalization movements perceive to be resultant from it) to persist and thrive are turned back to criticize either itself or another portion of the vertical structure.Popular culture, despite the criticisms it often faces for lack of sophistication or intelligence, is an important element of our lives. Popular culture may also serve as a tool for those struggling against globalization, rampant consumerism, and capitalist exploitation. Each age we turn on a television or listen to the radio or log on to the Internet we are exposing ourselves to popular culture. Popular culture should not be sensed as an intellectual wasteland. While much of that which makes up popular culture may be perceived as being detrimental to society by any number of people, activists and media scholars cannot ignore or reject it.Popular culture needs to be embraced and transformed through the use of producerly texts in order to improve and transform the genre into another persuasive conduit for activists. Popular culture is not liberation away. In the age of new media popular culture is becoming flat more pervasive in our lives as media formats are combined. If embraced as a rhetorical forum by culture jammers, popular culture can be transformed into a more revelatory and revolutionary space for communicating ideals that activists wish to make popular.ReferencesArtz, L., (2004), The Righteousness of Self-centered Royals The World accord to Disney Animation, Critical Arts Journal, Vol. 18, No. 1, 116-146.Blackmore, S., (1999). The meme machine, 1st ed., Oxford University Press.Debord, G., (1977), The Society of the Spectacle. 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