The Visceral Turn
Q: Is corporate capitalism in the emerging era of electracy steering us towards a “paradigmatic abjection,” preventing us from shifting to a change of world order through the entire shift of electracy?
Q: Also, is mass entertainment preventing electracy from emerging to its highest form as we become complacent and content with the surplus of entertainment we indulge in our daily lives?
“The new behavior emergent in electracy is consumerism: brand supplementing soul and self, modeled in celebrity stardom the experience of oneself as an image” (Ulmer, 2022).
Social media is monetized, and influencers receive paid sponsors to send a message or advertise a product, often leading to information misuse. As a result, people are branding themselves on media and spreading information in the form of entertainment that brings them fame or money from sponsors. Will this type of consumerism with an “exchange value” prevent us from shifting into the paradigm of electracy? Do we get lost in the material world where consumerism wipes out wisdom and knowledge?
Madrigal
Alexis C. Madrigal presents “culture jamming” in his article “The New Culture Jamming: How Activists Will Respond to Online Advertising.” Madrigal expresses that culture jammers wanted to use their activism against the commercial world on the internet, but the system embedded in advertisements makes it counterintuitive for them to do so.
Madrigal says, “Advertisements seemed to have mythic influence that could get people to do all kinds of things from buying Hummers and McMansions to starving themselves to attain fashion-model thinness.”Mythic” influence, where media becomes emulsified as a part of the natural order as if the technology itself was “god-given.” (Postman, 1998). The material world is regressing humanity to its lowest form as people get lost in the world of consumerism and the idea of merely displaying themselves as “wealthy” through the material items which are promoted by the marketing strategies of the commercial web. Culture jamming brings light to this corruption, but it is hard to send this message to the public eye when the web itself is formatted to support capitalistic efforts.
After writing my question for Ulmer, I read this article and found that it connected to my question and, in a way, gave me more clarity in my thought process.
Culture Jam Project
Nike has been linked to the use of sweatshops in foreign countries to produce apparel and shoes. I restructured the Nike “Just Do It” slogan by replacing it with “Just Don’t Wear It.” The images behind the logo display multiple examples of immoral and cheap labor in third-world countries. For example, the first image is two Syrian refugee children working in a Nike sweatshop to produce sneakers. In another example, the top right and bottom left images show Chinese Uyghurs, a religious minority in China, who are coerced into China’s “reeducation camps.”; they are also subject to forced labor that is linked to Nike. This culture jam reveals that we should not support Nike as the suppliers endure harsh working conditions to produce their products.
I created this detournement to display the corruption of the American healthcare system. The image depicts a farmer spraying pesticides on our produce, in this case, an apple. Most of our produce is treated with pesticides that cause long-lasting health issues such as endocrine disruption, gut imbalances, and even cancer. Not only is the produce being sprayed with these toxins, but livestock is being injected with antibiotics, impacting our health and creating antibiotic resistance. The image shows a cancer patient facing an absurd hospital bill that also succumbed to the big pharma industry represented by the prescription pills in the detournement. Instead of western medicine encouraging a healthy lifestyle with an improved diet and exercise to prevent illness, their first response is to prescribe medications, thus funding the big pharma industry. The image illustrates that the healthcare industry in America is a moneymaking scheme and cycle, “A system that fails us.”
I created a GIF to bring attention to the recent protests for the death of Mahsa Amini, who died after being detained for “improperly” wearing her hijab, as per the corrupted Iranian government laws. I chose to speak about this ongoing issue because it is appalling that women worldwide are still fighting for fundamental rights. The hijab is a religious head covering for women, which is meant to be a choice in Islam. However, the Iranian government placed these oppressive restrictions on women after the revolution.
The police have denied she suffered any harm by their doing and stated she suffered a heart attack. However, the reports say otherwise. The medical report states she died due to multiple organ failures caused by cerebral hypoxia, indicating that she may have been beaten or strangled to her death.
In my detournement, Mahsa Amini joins the protests, where I also gave her a sign stating, “Did you know that letting your hair blow in the wind is a crime in Iran?” The shackles represent oppression, and the blood represents the bloodshed for the many peaceful protesters who are risking their lives for this cause worldwide.
We must be informed about these topics even if it does not directly affect us. Let’s unify and support women’s rights to fight against injustice and inequality globally. Mahsa Amini’s death exposes us to an ongoing fight for women’s rights. The simple act of staying informed contributes to a better future for women worldwide.
References:
- Kingsley, P. (2016, May 6). From war in Syria to a Turkish sweatshop for child refugees. The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/06/war-to-sweatshop-for-child-refugees
- Nix, N. (2020, December 3). Forced labor in China’s Uyghur Camps Taints Nike, Coca-Cola, and Big U.S. Brands. Bloomberg.com. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2020-12-03/forced-labor-in-china-s-uyghur-camps-taints-nike-coca-cola-and-big-u-s-brands
- YouTube. (2012). Escape Fire: The Fight To Rescue American Healthcare. YouTube. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sjd67-G890.
- Guardian News and Media. (n.d.). Mapping Iran’s unrest: How Mahsa Amini’s death led to nationwide protests. The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2022/oct/31/mapping-irans-unrest-how-mahsa-aminis-death-led-to-nationwide-protests
For my culture jams, I used Canva to express my messages. One of my favorite tools in this application was the background remover. I could single out the image I wanted and combine it with other ideas. For example, in my detournement representing the American healthcare system, I created a digital collage by cutting multiple images with this tool and combining them to send a message about the corrupted healthcare system. In another example, I cut out Mahsa Amini. Then, I gave her another protestor’s sign using the same tool to display her protesting alongside everyone. I was also happy that Canva had tools that made it easy to animate and export files as a GIF so that I could bring my image to life.
I did face some technical challenges at first as I wasn’t completely familiar with Canva, but I had the ideas in my head, and as I played around with the tools, I determined what tools were helpful in my project. I think the tools I utilized in Canva were enough to help me create my culture jams and detournements, and I am overall happy with how the project came out. I was working on this project, intending to finish it as a whole, because I wasn’t exactly sure how to leave it as a draft. Still, I am interested in playing with Adobe software because I think using such software would transform my work to the next level. I think my weakness was using the same tools for all of my images, and I could expand on my ideas by trying to jump outside of my comfort zone.
Image #1
Image #2
Image #3
Image #1:
I like the red mark crossing out do it but also think you can just say “Don’t do it” “Just Don’t Wear It” instead.
Adding color might improve the imagery so we can see the bottom right picture clearer.
The Nike Logo is too much like the background color, maybe it can be more noticeable or the other 4 pictures can be more noticeable instead.
Image #2:
I liked the letter placement and colors of it all but the A at the start is the same color as the background, it should be changed.
To improve the image, you may include a hand holding the apple or just move the apple away if it is too much. You can also move the pills a bit so we can see behind it, the plants.
Image #3:
Very well done detournement. Love the effects done with the drip, light/halo, and lock. Perfect. Not sure what else needs to be improved. This is not an improvement but maybe Mahsa Amini can be holding the lock?
For Image 1. I really liked the logo and caption you created. However, black, white, and red made my eyes twitch. Haha, I don’t know if it makes sense but I hope you get what I am trying to say. I think adding another color to the text would be a better option.
For Image #2 . Powerful message and image. However, I think it would’ve been better if you wrote the entire text in the image in one color.
For Image #3. I loved it, Great image, and message. It was very enlightening and empowering. Thank you for bringing that to our attention once again and we should continue fighting against gender inequality and abuse against women.
Image #1
I thought this was very well done, the message is clear and strong and I like the overall aesthetic of it. I would say to improve it maybe use one or two images of the sweatshop because it can be hard to read with all the different black and white pictures in the background.
Image#2
I like how colorful the overall work is and the typeface used. I would say to improve it maybe consider the color of the words and the American flag, as the colors did clash.
Image#3
This is an important message and very well executed. I love that the picture has moving words on the lock and I’m not sure if that’s blood, but I like that the red dripping at the top is moving as well. The background picture showcasing the protest along with the images of Mahsa Amini, it makes for a very powerful message allowing me to connect with it and the importance of telling her story. Overall, well done.
Image 1: I’m curious about the choice of black and white in the backgrounds. I’m not sure that helps. The red lettering is too thick. I’d look for another font. Otherwise, Nike has been the target many times.
Image 2: There’s a lot going on in this image and the explanation you give makes it make sense. However, the message needs to stand on its own without the explanation. It’s hard to see the receipt as a hospital bill and the blue and red above it are distracting. I can’t make out what that is. The pesticide is more of a cloud than a spray and the apple is on the hospital bed. Again, there’s a log going on in here. It’s a good idea. I wonder if you can convey the cycle that’s happening through the image.
Image 3: I like this one a lot. It’s hard to read the word “hair” on the sign. I’d suggest letting whatever is bleeding down to go all the way down and cover the image and then loop it. What does killing people have to do with the Internet?