Blog 7

Blog 7

What is culture-jamming?  What are its forms?  What do you think of it as a tool for activism?  Be sure to use specific examples for the readings and the Adbusters website.  For an extra point, find an example on youtube.

Culture-jamming is an advertisement made to criticize aspects of modern culture, like consumerism and drug use. They also highlight the way advertisers sell you products. I think it is a great tool for activism. Ads are a form of getting information people are very used to and I love how they highlight the prevalence and power of advertisement.  Last semester I learned that the average child can correctly identify brand names before they can read. That is terrifying! On the adbusters website, I watched the “real bears’ ad. It was about the dangers of drinking soda like weight gain, diabetes, tooth decay, etc.

I know all of these things instinctively about soda because it is just liquid sugar but hearing it specially attributed to soda is new to me, probably because that would be terrible press.  Also in the ad there were multiple ads from the bear’s soda company connecting happiness and soda. Now that I look at soda ads, very few sell the taste more sell a lifestyle.  

On youtube here is a video on culture-jamming. It is about the sexualization of girls and women and how it affects their mental health. Here’s a hint, it’s not positive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp6gjxCRuxs