== Culture Jamming ==
=== What is Culture Jamming? ===
Culture Jamming is a form of media activism that incorporates the use of advertising language and imagery to subvert the expected advertising messages. Culture Jamming incorporates political and cultural criticism with the conventions of advertising. American artist Barbara Kruger is one of the seminal culture jammers. As a graphic designer for magazines Kruger learnt the techniques of advertising and then began to create art work that critically analysed consumer culture, racisim, sexism and war using conventional advertising signs and symbols. Kruger's work has been used as a template for jammers over the years, to see examples of Kruger's work [1]. Culture Jamming comes in many guises and accomodates a multitude of subcultural practices such as billboard alteration, media hoaxs, fake ads, fake newspapers and fake websites. Culture Jamming is also called 'semilogical guerilla warfare'. Culture Jamming has become a wide spread and popular form of media activism, it is eye catching, effective and is possible for anyone with a sense of humour and a spray can or computer.
Adbusters is a magazine that devotes itself to the subversion of consumer culture and the increasingly intrusive nature of advertising. The magazine is free from advertisments, rather it spoofs major advertising campaigns such as Absolut Vodka, with 'Absolut Nonsense'. Adbusters is also a website, [2] that promotes various activities associated with Adbusters such as 'Buy Nothing Day' ( a day each year organised internationally to encourage consumers to consider buying absolutely nothing for one day) and the Jammers network which attempts to connect people interested in culture jamming with one another in local areas. Adbusters have also attempted to broadcast 'commercials' on networks in the United States that have been rejected by the stations, subsequently Adbusters have launched legal action against the networks that refused to show their 'public service announcements'. One of the most successful campaigns of Adbusters is the 'Blackspot Sneaker'. Adbusters have started production of an environmentally friendly, ethically manufactured sneaker that is being sold over the Adbusters website. Each person who buys a pair of sneakers becomes a share holder in the Blackspot company in an example of 'bottom up capitalism'.
=== Other examples of Culture Jamming ===
Abrupt.org [3]
Sniggle.com [4]
Billboard Liberation Front [5]
Back to Online_Activism
Donna hancox 13:55, 26 Oct 2004 (EST)
