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CCT 300: Critical Analysis of Media. Class 6: Media as Agent of Change: Persuasion, Culture Jamming and Online Activism. Administration. Groups – get in them Ideas for project ? Propose ideas for next week Comic creation questions ?
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CCT 300: Critical Analysis of Media Class 6: Media as Agent of Change: Persuasion, Culture Jamming and Online Activism
Administration • Groups – get in them • Ideas for project? Propose ideas for next week • Comic creation questions? • Next week in-class assignment (optional) – showing work for critique • We can bump deadline for comic creation a week if you’d like?
Social Influence and Persuasion • What makes for an effective pitch? • What fails?
Concepts in Persuasion • Central and peripheral processing • The use of heuristics in processing • Latitudes of acceptance and rejection • Source/receiver characteristics
Central/Peripheral Attention • Central processing – things we pay attention to • Peripheral processing – “noise” in the media atmosphere that nevertheless is effective • Branding and peripheral processing – why does Coke, McDonalds, etc. advertise?
Iconography as Heuristic • Simplifying message to specific iconographic symbols helpful especially for peripheral processing • Iconographic figures in social movements?
Latitudes of Acceptance/Rejection • Latitude of acceptance – a range of beliefs that an individual is willing to receive message for (rejection – the opposite – what people will reject wholesale even with evidence to contrary…) • Acceptance/rejection and controversial messaging – how to swing people to your side.
Source/Receiver Characteristics • Some sources come with predetermined ideas/biases of their veracity • Some groups of people are more amenable to receiving certain kinds of messages • 9/11 Truthers as example – sought out qualified people to defend theories of 9/11 being an inside job • Alas, many such people also have connections to other conspiratorial plots (e.g., JFK/RFK, Illuminati, UFOs – etc.)
Culture Jamming • Creation of media products that run counter to mainstream/dominant media but use tools/genres of that media • Often done for political/advocacy purposes; but sometimes done for artistic or anarchistic reasons
Examples • http://www.huhcorp.com • http://www.benrik.co.uk/content/books.asp • http://www.freewayblogger.com/archive.htm
Adbusters • Founded in 1989 – anti-consumerism, pro-ecology, pro-health focus • Articles but with culture jamming in place of traditional advertisements • Advocacy efforts such as “Buy Nothing Day” – response to “Black Friday” in America • Now 120K reach, mass market availability
Critique of Jamming • Too hipster for its own good? • Is it possible to “downshift” entirely? Solutions seem at times a bit absolutist • Does it become what it refuses? (e.g., Adbusters production/distribution, shoes)
Transition to Activism: Adbusters and #OWS • Adbusters and #occupywallstreet/#OWS • http://www.adbusters.org/blogs/adbusters-blog/occupywallstreet.html - founding post in July for September protest • Impact of Occupy – clearly not around any more, but…
“Anonymous” • A comic connection… • Very loose and distributed network, often through unarchived highly anarchic spaces such as 4chan/7chan • Generally concerned with privacy, censorship, freedom of access efforts • “doing it for the lulz?” Somewhat – often contributes to serious efforts such as #OWS
Wikileaks • Concerned with freedom of information, publication of state and other secrets • Initially a wiki-based foundation, but with central editing • Unlike Anonymous, a very central (and controversial) figurehead in Julian Assange– leading to his (valid?) arrest and splits in org (e.g., OpenLeaks)
Internet Activism and the “Arab Spring” • Recent events in Middle East fueled in part by revelations in Wikileaks acknowledging understood regime corruption • Anonymous’ support for Iranian green revolution and others – opening up technical channels for communication when central authorities/services shut down • A “Twitter revolution”? • Results
In-class assignment • President Meme? • http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_21840551 • Big Bird, binders and bayonets – the Internet engaged them all immediately • Remixes galore too – e.g., BLR • Find a meme on 2012 presidential election (e.g., search KnowYourMeme for Obama or Romney, you’ll get billions.) • What is the core message of this meme? Is it persuasive? To whom?