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symbioidljCulture Jamming:
1) Thinking about culture jamming and the effects of hijacking media. I've thought about this back in like 98 or so, and thought it would be great to take over the MTV satellite feeds and put radical propaganda on the air. The youth would be fully targeted, etc... But as I think about this concept, and the rest of culture-jamming culture, I've been thinking about what, exactly, the goals of culture jammers are(I consider myself, in some ways, sympathetic to the goals of culture-jamming, until, perhaps, now...) Culture-jamming culture becomes Culture jamming culture-jamming. Co-option. But beyond that...
The fundamental flaw in all this is the use of the technologies of control(memetic manipulation) to prevent control. The idea being that you use the technologies that work for your enemies, to be put to use for you. The idea also seems to be that you use the technology to speak out against the technology. Manipulating symbols transmitted through various media, and turning the media against itself. That you are calling into question the structures by using the structure itself. And to a degree, yes, it works. But using the technologies of control for your own ends, mean that you are, in effect, merely confirming the power of these technologies. You aren't, in actuality, working to reduce the power of these technologies. The bond of these technologies increases with every use. In fact, if you make it "hip" to use technology in this way, you are increasing the "hipness" of these very technologies, an act you are trying to prevent.
Call me no Luddite however. I'm still examining my place in relation to these things. Communication is society, is power, is control, is community, is relationship, is freedom, is slavery. Contradictions abound. It's hypocritical to say mass media is bad when it's used for dominance, yet good when used for we good little progressive boys and girls who are "revolting" against the system. When in fact you are merely puppets of the system.
Being puppets of the system that you inhabit, by using the system's technologies to rebel, is in essence what I meant in my last long rant by the proletariot being bourgeois. We are intricately bound up in bourgeois culture so much that there are really, truly few radicals who wish to abolish it completely. I admit: I also, am bound to these amenities of modern industrial capitalist democracy.
The idea then becomes do we use the media to infect others with our memes, or do we work to destroy it? It makes statement still, to do what I envision, but it's left open to debate. There is no intent to force a particular view on others. Instead of hijacking the airwaves and broadcasting "subversive" material. Blackout the airwaves. Hack into the MTV satellite, yes. But don't go on in a mask and declare your manifesto of media warfare. Just turn it off. Not the TV, but the source signal.
They say turn off your TV, but they continue to use TV to broadcast the message. Just access the transmission, and shut it off. There will be no grand declarations of how great the revolution is. The revolution will, of course, not be televised. There will be no television. The only appearance the revolution will have is static. Black and white flickering dots. Noise. Chaos. This is the real message. Some may try to find order in the chaos, but there is no meaning but the very existence of chaos itself. We will seek to find patterns emerge, but will fail.
Is there a message stated? Yes. Explicitly? No. I personally believe the masses wouldn't understand if we stated what the idea was, let alone if we just left it as it is.
It is of course, purely idealistic to pretend we could cut off all signals being transmitted. And I don't really believe it could, would or should really ever happen. I'm a contradiction as I said in the last post, and that's that.
All I'm saying is that there is no real action that's about getting to the heart of the matter. The systems of control remain intact, even if conquered in a bloodless coup. We are slaves of the symbol, victims of the logos. We are linguistic entities. As such, it is probably quite foolish to hope that we can ever escape that. But maybe we can move beyond this? Language as an embedded phenomenon in the brain will be subsumed under a so-called "superior" communicative function. The technologies we have today will, most certainly, influence the evolution of that neo-symbolic function.
It's a blessing/curse... I'll talk about technology, the symbolic and ADD(hyperactivity/hyperlinks) some other day. For now, i'm napping. And you're all glad, too. :)
1) Thinking about culture jamming and the effects of hijacking media. I've thought about this back in like 98 or so, and thought it would be great to take over the MTV satellite feeds and put radical propaganda on the air. The youth would be fully targeted, etc... But as I think about this concept, and the rest of culture-jamming culture, I've been thinking about what, exactly, the goals of culture jammers are(I consider myself, in some ways, sympathetic to the goals of culture-jamming, until, perhaps, now...) Culture-jamming culture becomes Culture jamming culture-jamming. Co-option. But beyond that...
The fundamental flaw in all this is the use of the technologies of control(memetic manipulation) to prevent control. The idea being that you use the technologies that work for your enemies, to be put to use for you. The idea also seems to be that you use the technology to speak out against the technology. Manipulating symbols transmitted through various media, and turning the media against itself. That you are calling into question the structures by using the structure itself. And to a degree, yes, it works. But using the technologies of control for your own ends, mean that you are, in effect, merely confirming the power of these technologies. You aren't, in actuality, working to reduce the power of these technologies. The bond of these technologies increases with every use. In fact, if you make it "hip" to use technology in this way, you are increasing the "hipness" of these very technologies, an act you are trying to prevent.
Call me no Luddite however. I'm still examining my place in relation to these things. Communication is society, is power, is control, is community, is relationship, is freedom, is slavery. Contradictions abound. It's hypocritical to say mass media is bad when it's used for dominance, yet good when used for we good little progressive boys and girls who are "revolting" against the system. When in fact you are merely puppets of the system.
Being puppets of the system that you inhabit, by using the system's technologies to rebel, is in essence what I meant in my last long rant by the proletariot being bourgeois. We are intricately bound up in bourgeois culture so much that there are really, truly few radicals who wish to abolish it completely. I admit: I also, am bound to these amenities of modern industrial capitalist democracy.
The idea then becomes do we use the media to infect others with our memes, or do we work to destroy it? It makes statement still, to do what I envision, but it's left open to debate. There is no intent to force a particular view on others. Instead of hijacking the airwaves and broadcasting "subversive" material. Blackout the airwaves. Hack into the MTV satellite, yes. But don't go on in a mask and declare your manifesto of media warfare. Just turn it off. Not the TV, but the source signal.
They say turn off your TV, but they continue to use TV to broadcast the message. Just access the transmission, and shut it off. There will be no grand declarations of how great the revolution is. The revolution will, of course, not be televised. There will be no television. The only appearance the revolution will have is static. Black and white flickering dots. Noise. Chaos. This is the real message. Some may try to find order in the chaos, but there is no meaning but the very existence of chaos itself. We will seek to find patterns emerge, but will fail.
Is there a message stated? Yes. Explicitly? No. I personally believe the masses wouldn't understand if we stated what the idea was, let alone if we just left it as it is.
It is of course, purely idealistic to pretend we could cut off all signals being transmitted. And I don't really believe it could, would or should really ever happen. I'm a contradiction as I said in the last post, and that's that.
All I'm saying is that there is no real action that's about getting to the heart of the matter. The systems of control remain intact, even if conquered in a bloodless coup. We are slaves of the symbol, victims of the logos. We are linguistic entities. As such, it is probably quite foolish to hope that we can ever escape that. But maybe we can move beyond this? Language as an embedded phenomenon in the brain will be subsumed under a so-called "superior" communicative function. The technologies we have today will, most certainly, influence the evolution of that neo-symbolic function.
It's a blessing/curse... I'll talk about technology, the symbolic and ADD(hyperactivity/hyperlinks) some other day. For now, i'm napping. And you're all glad, too. :)
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no subject
Date: 2002-02-27 08:09 am (UTC)very thought provoking post...
I think of this often, how amazing technology is (i.e. the idea of t.v.
etc.) and yet am so repelled as well. I try to justify my internet use
with the idea that it is more intelligent and human to human
bonding than t.v. yet I think, if it wasn't for the internet i may
or may not, but i may be going outside and seeking actual human to
human contact...yet...then i wouldn't be friends with dave..so..hmm...
how can i be against technology completely when i embrace the computer/internet?
I keep thinking in quiet moments, of stephen kings 'the stand' and this
other weird ass end of days book...i fear over and over that for any
real change, mass change there almost has to be a major cutting off of
all sources.....yet i was also thinking about what is being slowly
introduced into the mass media (forgive me for being too optimistic
at times i have to be).....aye i am a terrible communicator but i
will try...if not a massive blow out of the sources...the anarchist
dream (oh by the way i checked out the anarchist parenting link,
wow...very impressive, i didn't realize i was an anarchist parent! :)
very reassuring to how i am trying to raise dev...)
....then the only other option i see is a major cleansing
from the east....putting on a new way of life like a new coat for
america. we already have this in the west...they are always changing
clothes and colors...problem is our east is totally cut off it seems....
i see zen mentionings at work from the business section to home and gardening,
caroline myss and her 'anatomy of the soul' was on oprah of all places,
and that book basically talks about intuitive healing and
energy...relating to the cristian sacraments, buddhism and the kabbalah
(i just sent that book to my Dad, mr. rush limbaugh). something *is*
happening but at such a slow fucking pace....we either blow everything
up and start over again or leak new ideas of life into the mass media...
the dali lama's face is so prominent in the religion section that it
almost seems as if he is purposely writing all of these books specifically
for america, almost as if to slowly introduce himself to us more and
more...i honestly have been feeling that the EAST is planning on taking
us over....we have littered their culture with our cotten candy one,
asians having surgery to make their eyes 'bigger' to give an example,
to their music to fucking mcDonalds....in response comes buddhism,
hinduism, zen, tao, the sufi's and etc. etc. etc to us...if I had to guess
with how prevelant the dali lama is becoming, he will be coming to
america soon. I keep having this weird feeling that things are
so fucked up that the evil higher ups deep down don't want this
whole 'game' they've contrived to end i.e. the big bang of extinction...
in desperation they know they have to slowly filter down changes...
there is censorship still...but yet has that really kept the underground
voices underground? seems like everything these days is coming out
of the closet and parading around town and on our t.vs...i can only
see amerika getting better if we are doused with a new regime(spell)
one that goes back to the basics of the body/mind wholistic approach
or we all are truly fucked.....
heh...not sure if this went with your post but you worked me up
so alas, here i am :) i have a feeling you and i could talk
all night about stuff. you type your thoughts better than me though ;P
I did read mystics posts and am gonna email her
peace
<3 k
(i just re-read your post and know i didn't touch on a lot of
what you said but i am so cold in my office and need to get
dressed for the day so forgive me but I dig what you wrote! :)
any ideas on how we could move beyond language? what could be
a universal language even for the blind and deaf? i say we
all should be figuring out e.s.p :)
sorry i['m all over the place,
peace