Response: Culture Jamming by Marc Dery

Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing and Sniping in the Empire of Signs

by Mac Dery

"'For Sale' signs already litter the unreal estate of cyberspace. A New York Times article titled "A Rush to Stake Claims on the Multimedia Frontier" prophesies "software and hardware that will connect consumers seamlessly to services... [allowing them] to shop from home," while a Newsweek cover story on interactive media promises "new technology that will change the way you shop, play and learn" (the order, here, speaks volumes about American priorities).  Video retailers are betting that the intersection of interactive media and home shopping will result in zillions of dollars' worth of impulse buys: zirconium rings, nonstick frying pans, costumed dolls, spray-on toupees.  What a New York Times author cutely calls Communicopia ("the convergence of virtually all communications technologies") may end up looking like the Home Shopping Network on steroids."

 Marc Dery writes an essay about culture jamming the media back in the early 90's, when the World Wide Web was still blossoming.  Culture jamming is the disruption of media: news, advertisements, radio, television, just about anything that feeds us information, taking control of our own minds.

I chose this passage because at present, it is exactly as it says it is.  Today, a predominate function of the Internet is shopping.  You can buy just about anything on the Internet and have it delivered to your doorstep.  You can shop for the newest electronic devices, the latest fashions, even groceries and take out food.  Items can even be auctioned for on Ebay, purchased in warehouse prices/bulk, and bought and shipped from around the world.  And it's true that the easily accessible at-home-store has resulted in millions of dollars being spent everyday.  But online stores are not the only way we area exposed to consumerism on the Internet, all of our favorite websites have ads embedded on the pages, on the top, sides, and/or bottoms, literally surrounding our viewing space with advertisements for just about anything.  Even on social networking sites, Facebook being the latest example, give private and personal information of advertising agencies so they'll be able to put advertisements targeted to you and your interests specifically in your window.