Just Do It® is the Nike advertisement slogan which catapulted the company into becoming the behemoth of the athletic-apparel industry during the 1990s (Wikipedia). Who can forget the famous Red Bull slogan, “Red Bull gives you wings”, as a daredevil jumps from a plane, jumps off a cliff, or over a ravine. While these slogans and advertising campaigns are specifically targeting sports activities, the message of embracing risk and immediate action for greater rewards cannot be denied. If neuroplasticity of the brain allows for radical, amazing changes within the human mind,
it should come as no surprise this plasticity allows corporate America to change and adapt to the rapid pace of a society which changes at “…the speed of thought” (Bill Gates).
It seems, to me, (and this is a gross over simplification) there are two thought processes within social media: one group is staying current with the fashionable trends of popular culture, and the other group has decided to differentiate themselves by going counter culture. This second group of people has generated a large following both online and offline, e.g., Tony Hawk and Rob Dyrdek. Large and small companies are trying to sell products to the most people possible. It’s only logical for them to embrace marketing to both pop- and counter-culture participants, as every corporation’s goal is to maximize profit.
I do see the conflict of interest which arises with this corporate influence. Radical ideas which have the potential to disrupt the profits of corporations will not receive corporate sponsorship; “The Revolution Will Not be Televised.” (Gil Scott-Heron) How can true systemic change occur in a society which controls the medium, message and money (McLuhan)? Worse yet, when the brilliant minds of rhetorical discourse and scientific community receive corporate sponsorship (grants), the conversations and research within academia have the potential of being compromised. This compromise will not only be limited to academia but to mainstream society as well. Whoever controls the ideas controls the mob. If the germination of ideas is then limited to a few entities, the greatest gift of humanity – diversity – is nullified. When a society cannot adapt due to a lack of ideas, its failure is already predetermined.
These are my two cents; I would appreciate any thoughts and criticism of my non-sponsored ideas.
I, for one, enjoyed reading this piece very much. I’d like to see you add to it according to the prompt that I put up.
I can see this expanding to include Carr (I see you mention him in passing early), and I’d love to see you get into Heron and develop that so that you can share how we can learn from Heron’s work.
Also, I am wondering why you credit McLuhan with that smart question you ask, a question that has come up in class and one that we clearly see spelled out in the Castells piece.
You never mention Frank by name or the title of the essay, which seems unfair. It’s Frank who gets us rolling with these questions.
But it’s all good, especially as you came up with this without a prompt. I like how you kicked it off with the advertisements. When you go back to revise, remember to address the prompt.