Let’s do the Culture Jam

“ We will wreck this world”.
— Kalle Lasn, in Culture Jam.

Culture Jam – sound familiar? It probably doesn’t… not in Australia anyway, but perhaps that’s a good thing!

I’m sure Australians’ would have at least seen some culture jams in their life time, but probably not aware of this. Take this for example, a spin on Absolut Vodka’s poster campaign:

As you can see, Culture Jammers’ take an ad,  manipulate it using the same media channels, and embed a brand new meaning (usually about social, political, ethical and other issues) that are not publicized by that particular brand or corporation behind it. The Absolut Vodka example plays on the fact of excessive alcoholic drink (binge drinking) can have impotence affects on males… This is something that Absolut does not advertise at all. Culture jamming, however can be in a variety of forms in bumper stickers, texture drawings (over an existing poster), graphics, stencils… the list is endless. Yet, the mainstream channels are by subverting an advertisement, like above.

I picked up this term whilst living in North America last year; a country dominated by megalithic corporations and the constant desire to sell, sell, sell and buy, buy, buy! Definitely something not as driven in this country as when I see America – I see it as the centre of the world; where everyone is a part of the corporation chain.

This term, and exposure to a world I never knew has opened my eyes about consumerism, capitalism and the fetishism placed on commodities from Advertisers and makes me question media channels and messages corporations (especially) send to the mass audience.

So many messages, not enough time.

Culture jamming is a method anti-consumerism activists have adopted as a means of “breaking through” the media clutter. On average, the Australian consumer sees around 3,000 advertisements a day.  These include visible and hidden logos, posters, billboards, street media, shopping centre media, and print/radio/television ads; and not to forget to mention thanks to the internet, banner ads and spam mail.

This figure is the exact as the average American consumer, with the addition of global corporations spend over $620 billion each year to make their products seem desirable and get them to buy.

From my experience, in American society, advertisements heavily consume their everyday lives. It constantly tells them how to look, how to act, and most importantly, how to think. This is something not experienced to the extent in Australia, and was a huge culture shock to myself.

The best way to approach this topic is to position myself as if I was still on the other side of the world. We see America as a consumer-driven society saturated in advertisement… how does the opposition or public make its voice heard?   This is, essentially, where culture jamming comes in play.   In order to dissent against America’s obsession with buying and spending, culture jamming enlists the aid of prominent symbols with pre-existing meanings/emotions attached, called memes (i.e.: a red octagon means stop, Nike swoosh).  Through the utilization of these commonly understood symbols, culture jammers turn their meanings against itself to address the larger concern of consumption and its indications.

This blog aims to approach the way media consumes our daily lives, and the controlling affects it can have to objectify a product or brand with the search for ‘perfection’. It also aims to find out why this isn’t a common term in Australia, and if this is in fact, a good thing or not.