Tuesday, June 14, 2011

3 Kinds of Culture Jamming: Commercial, Political and Social Signs of Our Times

By Urbanist in Graffiti & Drawing, Subvertising & Counter-Ads, Urban Images
Ninja Entry
(Check out our complete collection of Subversive Marketing and Culture Jamming.)
As you walk through a city, how often do you stop to think about the signs, symbols and
advertisements that bombard your vision from every direction? There seems little doubt that we live in a society increasingly dominated by visual information. However, refection on life is a prerequisite for living, and the cultural, political and commercial symbols of our times are well worth rethinking on a regular basis.

Ecolita Taco Bell Subvertisement
Commercial: Probably the most well known form of culture jamming is subvertising. Subvertisements are creative anti-ads targeted at conspicuous consumption considered endemic of capitalistic societies. These images variously target consumers themselves or large corporations, often with a specific message to get people thinking about what and/or why they buy.
Refugee Island Australian Political Culture Jamming
Stop War Culture Jamming Sign
Political: Less common but equally powerful are political forms of culture jamming. The above examples play on everyday symbols people normally wouldn’t think twice about. By subtly changing their meaning, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and takes on significance beyond what is expected. Respectively, the above signs deal with complex issues of political asylum in Australia and the contentious Iraq War.
Santa
President Evil
Funny Sign
Social: Of course, some culture jams are playful in nature and target society in general, being satirically oriented at anything from a holiday to a particular political leader or recognizable symbol. They may cause one to rethink reality, or simply laugh at something twisted to be slightly more-than-ordinary. The best subversive street art videos and images, of course, cause us to do both.

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