Anti-consumerism
Related social movements
Anarchism · Anti-globalization · Childfree · Environmentalism · Situationist International · Postmodernism · Socialism
Ideas and theory
Society of the Spectacle · Culture jamming · Corporate crime · Productivism · Media bias · Buy Nothing Day · Alternative culture · Affluenza · Simple living · Do it yourself · Cultural Creatives · Commodity fetishism · Cultural hegemony · Conspicuous consumption · Ethical consumerism · Post-materialism
Popular works
Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing, and Sniping in the Empire of the Signs · No Logo · The Corporation · The Theory of the Leisure Class · Surplus
Persons and organizations
Adbusters · Ralph Nader · Green party · John Zerzan · Noam Chomsky · Ron English · Naomi Klein · Thorstein Veblen · Guy Debord · Michael Moore · Michel Foucault · RTMark · The Yes Men · Reverend Billy · CounterCorp
Related subjects
Advertising · Capitalism · Economic problems · Left wing politics · Sweatshops · Anti-consumerists · Social movements
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A precise definition of culture jamming is elusive. Anti-consumerism refers to the socio-political movement against Consumerism. Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of Individuals and/or Organizations focused on specific Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i " Anti-globalization " is a term that encompasses a number of related ideas Childfree is a term used to describe individuals who neither have nor desire to have Children An alternative term is childless by choice. Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and Social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment. The Situationist International ( SI) was a small group of international political and artistic Agitators with roots in Marxism, Lettrism and the Postmodernism literally means 'after the modernist movement' While " Modern " itself refers to something "related to the present" the movement of modernism Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution The Society of the Spectacle ( La Société du spectacle) is a work of philosophy and critical theory by Situationist and Marxist theorist In Criminology, corporate crime refers to crimes committed either by a Corporation (i Productivism is the belief that measurable economic productivity and growth is the purpose of human organization (e Media bias in the United States Buy Nothing Day is an informal day of Protest against Consumerism observed by Social activists. Alternative culture is a type of Culture that exists outside or on the fringes of mainstream or Popular culture, usually under the domain of one or more Affluenza is a term used by critics of Consumerism, a Portmanteau of affluence and Influenza. Simple living (or voluntary simplicity) is a lifestyle individuals choose to minimize the 'more-is-better' pursuit of Wealth and consumption. Cultural Creatives is a term coined by Sociologist Paul H Ray and Psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson to describe a large segment in Western society that In Marxist theory Commodity Fetishism is a state of social relations said to arise in capitalist market based societies in which social relationships Cultural hegemony is a Concept coined by Marxist Philosopher Antonio Gramsci. Conspicuous consumption is a term used to describe the lavish spending on goods and services acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying Income or Wealth. Ethical consumerism is buying products and services that are made ethically. The theory of Post-materialism assumes an ongoing transformation of individuals and society which liberates them gradually from the stress of basic acquisitive or materialistic needs No Logo Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies is a book by Canadian journalist Naomi Klein. The Corporation is a 2003 Canadian Documentary film critical of the modern-day Corporation, considering it as a class of Person and The Theory of the Leisure Class is a book first published in 1899 by the American Economist Thorstein Veblen while he was a professor at the Surplus Terrorized Into Being Consumers is a 2003 Swedish Documentary film on Consumerism and Globalization, created by director Adbusters Media Foundation (called Adbusters or the Media Foundation is a Not-for-profit, anti-consumerist organization founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn Ralph Nader (born February 27 1934 is an American Attorney, Author, Lecturer, political activist, and independent candidate for President A Green party' or ecologist party is a formally organized Political party based on the principles of Green politics. John Zerzan (born 1943) is an American anarchist and primitivist Philosopher and author Avram Noam Chomsky (noʊm ˈtʃɑmski born December 7 1928 is an American linguist, Philosopher, cognitive scientist, Political Ron English is a contemporary Pop artist who explores popular Brand imagery and Advertising. Naomi Klein (b 8 May 1970, Montreal Quebec) is a Canadian Journalist, Author and activist well known for her Thorstein Bunde Veblen (born Tosten Bunde Veblen July 30, 1857 &ndash August 3, 1929) was a Norwegian-American sociologist Guy Ernest Debord ( December 28, 1931 - November 30, 1994) was a Marxist theorist French writer Filmmaker, hypergraphist Michael Francis Moore (born April 23 1954 is an Academy Award -winning American filmmaker author and liberal Political commentator. Michel Foucault ( (15 October 1926 – 25 June 1984 was a French philosopher, Historian, Intellectual, Critic and Sociologist. RTMark is an activist collective that subverts the "Corporate Shield" protecting US corporations The Yes Men are a group of Culture jamming activists who practice what they call "identity correction" by pretending to be powerful people and spokespersons for prominent The Church of Stop Shopping is an activist performance group based in New York City, led by Reverend Billy, the stage name of Bill Talen The CounterCorp International Anti-Corporate Film Festival is a three-day series of anti-corporate films panel discussions and related events held every year since 2006 in Advertising is a form of Communication that typically attempts to persuade potential Customers to Purchase or to consume more of a particular Brand Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where A sweatshop is a working environment with very difficult or dangerous conditions usually where the workers have few rights or ways to address their situation An Anti-consumerist is one who opposes Consumerism. The following is a list of notable anti-consumerists see Anti-consumerism for the main page This is a partial list of Social movements. Abahlali baseMjondolo - South African shack dwellers' movement Abolitionism It has been called a resistance movement to cultural hegemony, whereas some say the defining theme of culture jamming is an individualistic turning away from all forms of herd mentality – including that of movements – and by that definition, culture jamming should never be represented as a movement. A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups dedicated to fighting an Invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign nation Cultural hegemony is a Concept coined by Marxist Philosopher Antonio Gramsci. Culture jamming is not defined by any specific political position or message, nor even by any specific cultural position or message. The common thread is mainly an urge to poke fun at the homogenous nature of popular culture, often by means of guerrilla communication (communication unsanctioned or opposed by government or other powers-that-be). Popular culture (or pop culture) is the Culture — patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance — Guerrilla communication and communication guerrilla refer to unconventional forms of communication and/or intervention in public events or discourse for reasons ranging from

Culture jamming could be defined as an art movement, although this too may be insufficient to cover the full spectrum of activities identified as culture jamming. Culture jamming has been characterized as a form of public activism which is generally in opposition to commercialism, and the vectors of corporate image. Activism, in a general sense can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change Commercialism, in its original meaning is the practices methods aims and spirit of Commerce or Business. A corporate image refers to how a Corporation is perceived It is a generally accepted image of what a company "stands for" However, this also is too narrow a definition to cover all culture jamming activities (that definition more closely fits Subvertising). Subvertising refers to the practice of making spoofs or parodies of corporate and political advertisements in order to make a statement Some culture jamming takes aim at these power structures because they are part of the dominant culture, but any other aspects of the dominant culture are also fair game for culture jamming.

Culture jamming sometimes entails transforming mass media to produce ironic or satirical commentary about itself, using the original medium's communication method. "Popular press" redirects here note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint "The Popular Press"

Aims of culture jammers may include:

• To have a good laugh (and to encourage others to do likewise) at the expense of prevailing social currents - many purveyers of which, in the opinion of many culture jammers, take themselves too seriously. Even culture jammers themselves are not immune to being the subjects of culture jamming, if they appear to be on their way to becoming as institutionalized and humorless as the original objects of culture jammers' attention.
• To reawaken a sense of wonder and fascination about one's surrounding environment, inspired by the frequent intentional ambiguity of a specific culture jamming technique, which stimulates personal interpretation and independent thinking.
• To demonstrate contrasts between iconic images, practices or attitudes and the realities or perceived negative side of the item object of the jamming (often the target is a trapping of monolithic power structures such as corporations, government or religions). This is often done symbolically, with the "detournement" of pop iconography. In détournement, an artist reuses elements of well-known media to create a new work with a different message often one opposed
• To provoke an interest in civic engagement and social connectedness. Civic engagement has been defined as "Individual and Collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern Social connectedness is a Psychological term used to describe the quality and number of connections we have with other people in our social circle of Family,

Culture jammers' intent may differ from (but may overlap with) that of artistic appropriation (which is done for art's sake) and vandalism (in which destruction or defacement is the primary goal), although its results are not always so easily distinguishable. To appropriate something involves taking possession of it In the Visual arts, the term appropriation often refers to the use of borrowed Vandalism is the behaviour attributed to the Vandals in respect of Culture: ruthless Destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or Venerable Some street art and other actions fall into two or even all three categories.

Origins

Coined by the collage band Negativland on its release JamCon '84, the phrase "culture jamming" comes from the idea of radio jamming: that public frequencies can be pirated and subverted for independent communication, or to disrupt dominant frequencies. In Music montage (literally "putting together" or sound collage ("gluing together" is a technique where Sound objects or compositions Negativland is an Experimental music and Sound collage band which originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s Radio jamming is the (usually deliberate transmission of Radio signals that disrupt communications by decreasing the Signal to noise ratio

Culture jamming has roots in medieval carnival's subversion of the social hierarchy (theorized by Mikhail Bakhtin in RABELAIS AND HIS WORLD), the media-savvy agit-prop of the anti-Nazi photomonteur John Heartfield, the sociopolitical street theater and staged media events of '60s radicals such as Abbie Hoffman, the German concept of Spaßguerilla, and in the Situationist International (SI) of the 1960s. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Situationist International ( SI) was a small group of international political and artistic Agitators with roots in Marxism, Lettrism and the The SI first compared its own activities to radio jamming in 1968, when it proposed the use of guerrilla communication within mass media to sow confusion within the dominant culture. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Guerrilla communication and communication guerrilla refer to unconventional forms of communication and/or intervention in public events or discourse for reasons ranging from "Popular press" redirects here note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint "The Popular Press"

The Canadian magazine Adbusters began to promote aspects of culture jamming after the American author and cultural critic Mark Dery introduced editor Kalle Lasn to the term through a series of articles he wrote for Adbusters. Adbusters Media Foundation (called Adbusters or the Media Foundation is a Not-for-profit, anti-consumerist organization founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn Mark Alexander Dery (born December 24, 1959) is an American author lecturer and Cultural critic. Dery's New York Times article on culture jamming, "The Merry Pranksters And the Art of the Hoax" ^[1] was the first mention, in the mainstream media, of the phenomenon; Dery later expanded on this article in his 1993 Open Magazine pamphlet, "Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing, and Sniping in the Empire of the Signs" ^[2], a seminal essay that remains the most exhaustive historical, sociopolitical, and philosophical theorization of culture jamming to date.

Examples

Techniques of culture jamming include adbusting, performance art, graffiti, billboard alteration, flash mobs and hacktivism (such as cybersquatting and Google bombing). Subvertising refers to the practice of making spoofs or parodies of corporate and political advertisements in order to make a statement This article is about Performance art For other uses see Performance (disambiguation Graffiti (singular graffito; the plural is used as a Mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched scrawled painted or marked in any manner on property A flash mob is a large group of people Hacktivism (a Portmanteau of Hack and Activism) is "the nonviolent use of illegal or legally ambiguous digital tools in pursuit Cybersquatting, according to the United States federal law known as the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, is registering trafficking in or using a domain name with

• "Media Burn," a spectacle staged in 1975 by the performance art collective Ant Farm. This article is about a group of architects For other uses see Ant farm (disambiguation Ant Farm was a group of architects who produced experimental
• BUGAUP, an Australian group founded in 1979 and most active in the 1980s, which creatively defaced advertising billboards, especially those featuring cigarette and alcohol advertising. Billboard Utilising Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions, or B The group's acronym which stands for Billboard-Utilising Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions, is also a pun—to "bugger up" is an Australian slang term meaning "to spoil/ruin"
• Naomi Klein's No Logo, whose section on culture jamming draws heavily on Mark Dery's 1993 essay on culture jamming, highlights the work of Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada ^[3], of Artfux and the Cicada Corps of Artists. Naomi Klein (b 8 May 1970, Montreal Quebec) is a Canadian Journalist, Author and activist well known for her No Logo Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies is a book by Canadian journalist Naomi Klein. Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada is a Cuban-American contemporary artist An excerpt is in Brandweek magazine. Brandweek is a weekly American marketing trade publicationFirst published in 1986 as Adweek s Marketing Week the publication changed its name ^[4]
• The Bubble Project, a street art project by Ji Lee which involves placing empty "speech bubbles" on posters and advertisements for passers by to write commentary in. The Bubble Project, as proclaimed by its manifesto aims to counterattack the one-sided corporate onslaught of Marketing and advertisement messages which propagate public Street art is any Art developed in Public spaces — that is "in the Streets quot — though the term usually refers to art of an illicit nature as
• The Church of the SubGenius, a satirical religion. The Church of the SubGenius is a religious group that satirizes Religion, Conspiracy theory, UFOs and Popular culture.

A "Kill your TV" slogan with skull motif in downtown Toronto

• Gorillaz' "Reject False Icons" movement, encouraging the placement of stickers on pictures of "False Icons" like Ashlee Simpson and Usher. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Gorillaz is a Virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn of alternative rock band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the Comic Gorillaz is a Virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn of alternative rock band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the Comic Usher Raymond IV (born October 14 1978 known simply by his first name Usher, is an American R&B and pop Singer - Songwriter Supporters also use graffiti to spread the word.
• Billboard modifications, done in the style of the original billboard, by groups (e. g. , the Billboard Liberation Front) or individuals. The Billboard Liberation Front is a group of " culture jammers " devoted to "improving" billboards by changing key words to radically alter the message
• Modifying slogans to create political statements. For example "Just do it. . . or else!" was used as a modified slogan to comment on Nike's sweat shop practices. Nike Inc ('naɪki ( is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. A sweatshop is a working environment with very difficult or dangerous conditions usually where the workers have few rights or ways to address their situation
• Google bombing, a widespread effort to purposely influence the automated association of specific keywords with results produced by internet search engines, especially Google. Google Inc is an American public corporation, earning revenue from advertising related to its Internet search, e-mail, online
• The Who's 1967 album The Who Sell Out, featuring satirical faux commercials on the cover and between the tracks. The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. The Who Sell Out is the third album by the English rock band The Who, released in 1967
• The band Negativland's Dispepsi album, in which recordings related in some way to soft drinks are used to comment (in a negative way) on the beverage industry and its marketing practices. Negativland is an Experimental music and Sound collage band which originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s Dispepsi is an album by the band Negativland. It was released on July 29, 1997 by Seeland Records, Negativland's record label Soft drink is a beverage that does not contain Alcohol. Carbonated soft drinks are commonly known as soda soda pop pop, or
• The Church of Satan's ad featuring founder Anton Szandor LaVey holding a snake in the style of Apple Computer's "Think Different" campaign. LaVeyan Anton Szandor LaVey, (April 11 1930 &ndash October 24 1997 born Howard Stanton Levey, was the American Founder and High Priest of the "Think Different" is an Advertising slogan created for Apple Computer in 1997 by the Los Angeles office
• The 1994 burning of £1,000,000 in cash by the K Foundation. K Foundation Burn a Million Quid was a publicity stunt on 23 August 1994 in which the K Foundation (an art duo consisting of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty The K Foundation was an art foundation set up by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty ( The KLF) in 1993 following their 'retirement' from the music industry
• Sousveillance, the recording or monitoring of authority figures. Sousveillance (suːˈveɪləns original French) as well as inverse surveillance are terms coined by Steve Mann to describe the recording of an activity
• Whirl-Mart is an event that seeks to mimic and mock what they perceive as the absurdity of the shopping process, often by organising a crowd to walk around a Wal-Mart in an apparent daze for several hours, buying nothing. Whirl-Mart is a Culture jamming ritual aimed at retail Superstores and described by participants as "art and action Wal-Mart Stores Inc (or Walmart as written in its new logo is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large discount department stores
• The defacement of stolen (and then returned) library books by Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell, for which they were imprisoned for six months in 1962. Joe Orton ( 1 January, 1933, Leicester, England - 9 August, 1967, Islington, London) born John Kenneth Halliwell ( 23 June 1926 – 9 August 1967) was a British Actor and Writer. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Written about in detail in John Lahr's "Prick Up Your Ears. John Lahr' (born July 12, 1941) is an American Theater critic and the son of actor Bert Lahr. Prick Up Your Ears is a 1987 film about the playwright Joe Orton and his lover Kenneth Halliwell. "

Andre the Giant Has a Posse, street art

• André the Giant Has a Posse, a street art campaign. Andre the Giant Has a Posse is a Street art campaign based on a Design by Shepard Fairey created in 1986 in Charleston South Carolina Andre the Giant Has a Posse is a Street art campaign based on a Design by Shepard Fairey created in 1986 in Charleston South Carolina Street art is any Art developed in Public spaces — that is "in the Streets quot — though the term usually refers to art of an illicit nature as
• Kerry Against Bush a spoof political pressure group, based in Kerry, Ireland who urged voters to vote against GW Bush in the 2004 election. County Kerry ( Contae Chiarraí in Irish) is a southwestern county of Ireland. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Their logo was a jam of a kerrygold butter logo. Butter is a Dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented Cream or Milk. The website is archived here
• Nike-Jam by 01.org
• Stickering stop signs to create messages (e. g. , "Stop War," "Stop Eating Animals," "Stop! Hammertime!," etc. " U Can't Touch This " was MC Hammer 's most widely-known single, propelling sales of its album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, which ).
• Operation Mindfuck- Outlined as various projects for Discordians to carry out which involve either defacement or sending absurd letters to people who have political power. Operation Mindfuck or OM is an important practice in the religion Discordianism. Discordianism is a modern Religion centered on the idea that Chaos is as important as order. Most notably Project Eagle which involves putting up fliers that read "Burn the polls, ye sons of freedom" on or around election day and Project Graffito (and Project Bumpersticker) which involve giving particularly Erisian slogans, such as "Your Local Police Are Armed and Dangerous", widespread distribution. Eris ( Greek Ἔρις, "Strife" is the Greek Goddess of strife her name being translated into Latin as Discordia
• 500 Copies of the Paris Hilton's debut album are remixed and retouched by Banksy and Danger Mouse. Banksy is a well-known pseudo-anonymous British Graffiti Artist. Brian Joseph Burton, better known by his Stage name Danger Mouse, is an American artist and producer. ^[5]
• UK artist Dan Wilson's massive tapedropping ^[6] [1] (or mediadropping [2]) project involving dropping cassettes, CDs or DVD-Rs of homemade self-produced music or video in public places for random people to find. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Meadow House is the nom de plume of English musician instrument builder and composer Dan Wilson The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a Magnetic tape sound A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio DVD-R is a DVD recordable format A DVD-R typically has a storage capacity of 4
• Shopdropping (or Reverse Shoplifting)—The placement of art objects in public retail environments (especially large retail conglomerates). A precise definition of culture jamming is elusive It has been called a Resistance movement to Cultural hegemony, whereas some say the defining theme of culture jamming [3][4][5]

Madison Avenue & 57th Street, NY.

Queens, NY.

NYC

• Writing messages on paper currency.
• In Reno, Nevada, homemade stickers have appeared on vending machines, stating "The bill you slip/ into this slot/ supports my graft/ so thanks a lot!- Mayor Bob Cashell. Robert "Bob" Cashell is the current Republican mayor of Reno Nevada, elected in 2002 "
• www.NoArmy.com—a remixed version of the recruitment site, www. goarmy. com, which presents the facts missing in the Army sales pitch, and shows potential recruits what they can really expect if they enlist.

Culture jamming organizations or people

• Alan Abel
• Adbusters
• Anonymous (group)
• Anti-Pearlman Permanent Poster League
• Are You Generic
• Banksy
• Billboard Liberation Front
• Billionaires for Bush
• Borat
• Brass Eye
• The Bubble Project
• BUGAUP
• Cacophony Society
• Chumbawamba
• Cutup
• Dan Wilson
• Guy DeBord
• The Deconstruction Workers
• Emergency Broadcast Network
• Evan Coyne Maloney
• The Evolution Control Committee
• Graffiti Research Lab
• Improv Everywhere
• Infringement Festival
• Jason Eppink
• Joey Skaggs
• John Fekner
• The KLF and the K Foundation
• Kalle Lasn
• Luther Blissett Project
• Monochrom
• Mark Dice
• Media Foundation
• Negativland
• Norm Magnusson
• Optative Theatrical Laboratories
• The People's Cube (formerly Communists for Kerry)
• PARK(ing) Day
• Publixtheatre Caravan
• ®™ark
• Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping
• Sal Randolph
• Shepard Fairey
• Shopdropping
• Stay Free!
• Stephen Colbert
• The Yes Men
• Yippies
• Memefest, international festival of radical communication

See also

• Artivist
• Culture
• Meme
• Broadcast signal intrusion
• Balls of Steel (TV)
• Flashmob
• Little Red Songbook - famous culture jamming of Christian hymns
• Operation Mindfuck
• Situationism
• Scratch Video
• Subvertising
• Detournement

References

• Dery, Mark (1993). Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing, and Sniping in the Empire of Signs. Open Magazine Pamphlet Series: NJ. [6]
• Klein, Naomi (2000). No Logo. London: Flamingo.
• Kyoto Journal: Culture Jammer's Guide to Enlightenment. [7]
• Lasn, Kalle (1999) Culture Jam. New York: Eagle Brook.
• Tietchen, T. “Language out of Language: Excavating the Roots of Culture Jamming and Postmodern Activism from William S. Burroughs' Nova Trilogy. ” Discourse: Berkeley Journal for Theoretical Studies in Media and Culture. 23, Part 3 (2001): 107-130.