LOCKDOWN 2021 WORK
ADBUSTERS PT1:300 WORDS- 05/01/21
In what ways can the magazine be seen to support Howard’s claim that design
‘expresses social priorities and carries out cultural values’?
This is an Adbusters magazine front page and Adbusters is a well known magazine which seeks to bring about social and political change through direction, therefore already supporting Haward’s claim as they openly talk about social priorities such as politices and war. The cover further supports his claim as the main text reads “POST -WEST” having cultural vaules to the gradual shift in the economic and political power from Western countries to the developing world and having connontations to the western world and capitalims, expressing that Adbuster want to adress this topic and have their readers/audience be aware of the changing world and to have direct action within their audeince. The central image also applies to Howard’s claim through the code of clothing , we can see that the male is wearing camouflage,mostly warn by soldiers therefore signifying war which can be seen to express cultrual values as wars can start due to religion, government and social structures which can result in a social priority as war can affect individual people and the globe, furthermore the male’s facial expression is directed away from the camera possibly signifying that his anger and rage is towards other people and not to camera as the image is not direct adress , his stance also shows his passion within his anger and what he is truly feeling as his hand is in a fist; making the readers wonder what the political aspect of the magazine and cover is about. The masthead gives the magazine an identity therefore reflecting the magazines beliefs and values which reinforces Howard’s claim as the magazine openly expresses what they see to be social priorities and do carry out cultural values and this is clearly shown within the front cover of this Adbusters magazine as their main aim is to bring change within social and political constructs. Adbuster is a Canadian-based not for profit, pro-environment organization also known as an activist magazine, making their goal to interrupt the normal consumerist experience in order to reveal the underlying ideology of an advertisement, media message, or consumer artifact. Adbusters believe and try to seek out that large corporations control mainstream media and the flow of information, therfore by conducting culter jams they aim to challenge these right wing ideas. This front cover represents Adbusters ideologies as it portrays the anger people from the developing world and ourselves have towards the western society and how we submissive to the capitalist world.
ADBUSTERS PT2 QUESTIONS-11/01/21
What type of magazine is Adbusters? Look at three pages and record your observations.
Adbusters is a political, activist magazine that aims to bring about scoial and political change through direct action.Which is clear when looking at these three pages from an Adbusters magazine; each one focuses on a political and social topic. Adbuster is also a left wing magazine therfore they fight againsts capitalisms and want social equality for everyone, and Adbusters reinforces these values as the magazine is consciousness raising.For example one of the covers reads ‘Will capitalism implode’ which is placed over an image of an man with a plastic bag over his face possibly symblosing that capitalist/ big brand companies exploit low income countries to make their products and as Adbusters is an activist magazine it is addressing this problem as they want to achieve social change and to fight back at these capitalist ideologies on how little they pay little for products to be made but sell them 10 times the price it cost to produce them. Adbusters has also talked about social issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement and how there is a need of change and encouraging people to help within making a change.Also focusing on subjects of climate change and how some people use it as enjoyment of destruction.Furthermore, Adbusters subvert traditional advertising within magazines, the do this by culture jamming where they change the meaning of a image to get their message across.
What we’re trying to do is pioneer a new form of social activism using all the power of the mass media to sell ideas rather than products’. (Motavalli, 1996)
Review the magazine, identify and explain examples of Motavalli’s idea. Be as detailed as you can.
Adbusters is an independent magazine therefore doesn’t rely on advertising and the idea of selling products to their readers. However as Adbusters is an activist magazine it’s main aim is to powerfully bring about social and political change, therefore creating a new form of social activism as their belfies and values will reflect on their readers/viewer
This is shown through many of their front covers, as they have a great impact through their subverted meanings such as culture jams, altering the meaning of the image to get theirs across and genre hybridity that criticise the capitalist and western ideologies.
Guerilla’ Semiotics, Culture Jams and Genre Hybridity. What are they? Post an example and explain terminology.
Guerilla semiotics are techniques that use signs and symbols to convey a message. An example of this would be the occupy of Wall Street as protests were made against economic inequality, they did this by having sign that said ‘eat the rich’ and even tapped money over their mouths to signify how rich capitalists have the upper hand.
Genre hybridity is a genre that crosses themes and elements from other genres. This is clearly shown in a front cover which shows a women standing on top of the bull statue that is placed outside New York stock exchange, this represents people standing up to capitalism and Wall Street, and how there needs to be a change.
Culture jamming is a protest used by many anti-consumerist social movements to disrupt or subvert media culture. An example of this is in the picture of a supermarket stating ‘fine keep shopping’ therefore portraying consumerism and how we our selves are consumers as we are distracted be these ideas and what is presented to us.
Find an example of Culture Jamming and interpret the message/meaning? Consider some of the terminology we have considered:Activism/Direct action Consciousness raising Political/social perspectiveIdeology Binary opposites Use this resource to help.
An example of culture jamming in Abusters is this christmas image. This image is direct address as the ‘santa’ is pointing towards the audience and the words ‘you’ are in captital letters and red font showing the importance of the word.The image is attacking capitalism in the Christmas persiod as it is the best time of year for compainies and the economy to make more many. The image is a binary opposite as adverts or images in magazines would portray Santa Claus as happy and jolly however Adbusters has portrayed him as slightly disheveled and creepy to possibly represent him as the captalist society which we live in. The image further hsows the capatilist society as the full text reads “I want you to spend a lot to prove you love your family” creating the viewer into feeling guilty as they might of not bought their family enought presents therefore making them go out and buy more, leading into a constant cycle of falling for these captalist/consumerism ideologies and the idea that the more you have the more love you will recieve when that isn’t the case it’s about quality not quantaiy. By showing a poster like this it helps readers to be aware of these capatlists/consumerism schemes and to try and have direct approach to stop them and the idea that you need more buy more to be happy/loved, furthermore as Adbusters is a left wing magazine they want to try and abolish inequalities within society for example this culture jam is guilt tripping viewers into buying more to earn love from their family members but some people may not be able to afford presents due to not having a lot of money therfore implying that they won’t be loved by their family therefore relating to left wing ideologies as there are inequalities within money/ finacial aid and Adbusters wants their audience to be aware of these situations and tackle the ideas and image of capitalism and what it has done to our view of the world.
ADBUSTERS PT3/4 QUESTIONS-18/01/21
Task:
Review Three pages of Adbusters and consider the following:
How are social groups represented?
Are they straight forward or complexed?
What statements do the texts make about Consumerism and Capitalism?
Adbusters
Through out these three pages, it seems that social groups such as Capitalists are seen as greedy and only caring for themselves for example the Adbuster image with the iceberg suggest that people are more likely to blame natural events such as the weather on the ice caps melting and not realise or change their actions to help mitagate the problem. Also the image with the women on the street further talks about how our greatest fear is the collapse of food production due to escalating prices, further linking to capitalists and capitalism as profit before people as if prices of food we’re to rise wealthy families could able to cope however poorer families would be at a disadvantage, which is shown as the women seems to homeless. Adbusters is quite straight forward with their approach and statements as they talk about issues such as hotter summers increasing the risk of the polar ice caps but also telling people that by ignoring your actions such as using your car which increase greenhouse gases and climate change you are contributing to this disaster and making it worse, however Abuster make be seen as complex as they have phrases and images they might want their readers to decode and understand secret messages.
The text on the bottom image reads ‘you are the perfect crime’ signifying that the more products you buy and consume can be seen as criminal and how the consumers have you wrapped around their finger and the idea of always wanting and needing more is being fed into us, therefore stating that we are constantly being driven by consumerism.Another phrase reads ‘Everything is fine keep shopping’ suggesting that we are blinded by advertising and consumerist ideologies that we forget real issues within society .
Dery 1993:culture jammers often make use of what might be called ‘guerilla’ semiotics – analytical techniques not unlike those employed by scholars to decipher the signs and symbols that constitute a cultures secret language. Barthes: ‘systems of signification.’
How is this image ideological?
How does the magazine represent consumerism, capitalism and environmental issues?
The image is ideological as the setting is a supermarket linking to the idea of consumerism and how we are bombarded with products everywhere we go, we are constantly surround by this idea that we need to buy things and we have endless supply of options and opportunities to buy things and these places will always have the items we need. It’s also ideological as consumers plant this idea of ‘you’re fine keep shopping’ that buying things makes us feel better and that everything in the world is okay as long as your spending money.
This magazine represents a consumerism issue as people are being ‘forced’ or persuaded to spend money which overall adds to the economy and “you are the perfect crime” signifying that consumer have us right where they want us and we submit to these ideologies.
What connotations does this page carry?
How does it fit in with similar messages seen in Adbusters?
This page may carry connotations to the fashion designer Christian Louboutin who is a fashion designer who focuses on high-end stiletto footwear, his name is placed underneith the image. The image shows a black child who maybe from a lock income country as they are wearing plastic/plastic bottles for shoes, furhermore the setting surround the child is sandy possibly representing hot countires such as somewhere in Africa. The text beside the ‘Christian Louboutin’ is the phase “red soles are always in season”, further having connotations to the designer as his signitures is the red sole on his shoes. Paring this phrase with the picture suggests that these children have red soles all the time ‘in season’ as the footwear they have is made of plastic and can cause injuries leading to red soles symbolising their blood.The Christian Louboutin logois also featured in this image and is bright red sumbolising the extravagant lifestyle his shoes represent unlike the life the child has in the central image.
This image relates to others in Adbusters, as they tend to focus and attack right wing ideologies such as ‘you get what you work for’ however some places such as Africa may be less fortunate so may not be able to afford designer brands, Adbusters also a want to bring about social and political change through direct action, they have also covered other issues such as exposing capitalist/ big brand companies exploit low income countries to make their products relating to this image as Adbuster is directly attacking Christian Louboutin as he makes and designer expensive shoes we are targeted to wealthy individuals however this culture jam is attacking him as this is what poorer idividuals have to deal with, having to use rubbish as footwear.
ADBUSTERS PT 5 QUESTIONS-18/01/21
Explain the ideas of Motavelli and Klein and consider how they are relevant to specific examples within the set text?
Motavelli’s theory suggests that companies such as Adbusters are trying to pioneer a new form of social activism using all the power of the mass media therefore they sell ideas rather than products. This relates to Abusters as their main aim is to be conciousness raising and to encourage their readers to become activists, they do this through a technique called culture jamming which will mostly likely show their ideas while also subverting the original meaning of an advertisement., therefore Abusters is selling their ideas and beliefs rather than products like mainstream magazines. Which also links Klein’s theory that practice of paradying adverts and hijacking billboards in order to drastically alter their message, which Adbuster do for example in this culture jam Adbuster has drastically altered McDonalds advert by changing their iconic ‘I’m lovin’ it’ ‘I’m gainin’ it’ and have turned the M into a W to signify weight, instead of the advert promoting fast food Adbusters has changed it so that it shows what they think Mcdonalds is, as it is a place that makes you gain weight.
How does the magazine represent consumerism, capitalism and environmental issues?
The magazine represents consumerism, capitalism and environmental issues in the negative light, they further do this by culture jams. Adbusters attacks big brands/ consumerism while also attacking capitalist ideologies,subverting and changing their adverts to show their true meaning and how we are being conrolled and manipulated by these dominant brands.
How does Adbusters challenge dominant Ideologies?
Adbusters is a socialist activist magazine that tends to satiries capitalist society/ western world which we live in, they seek to condem and highlight social and political issues which mostley revolves around consumers and capitalist belfiefs. One way in which Adbusters challenges dominant ideologies is through culture jamming , for example one image is shown to be a barcode however there are two hands which appear to be grabbing onto the lines and the serial number below signifying jail and the idea of being ‘behind bars’ the image suggests that we ourselves are criminals to capitalsim as they have a hold of us , the use of Adbuster including the serial number it to show that we are just another set of numbers and subjects to them as all they care for is for the money you provide towards their companies reinforcing Howard’s theory that ‘Design is not an abstract theoretical discipline as it produces tangible artifacts, expresses social priorities and carries cultural values’. Also linking to one of Abusters magazine covershowing us a abnormaly large burger portraying the capitalist idea of needing and wanting more, the image is followed by the phrase “Are We Happy Yet?” implying that the more you have and the more you ask for something will not result in happieness , further questioning the idealisation of requiring products it such a large quantity. However this image may also link to how mass companies such as Mcdonland’s offer large portions of food to an individual while there are people who are less privileged in low income and third world countries and often suffer from famines and droughts. Giving awareness to the readers of Adbusters that famines and providing for the less fortunate than us who are consumed by capitalism and how these issues should be social priorities and how the more we have will not give us true happieness or success. Abusters is a left wing magazine therefore their main intention is to try and abolish social inequality and capitalist ideologies of ‘more equals happieness’ therefore by suberting these ideas and challenging them it gives the readers and the public awareness that the quantity and quality of products or items doesn’t define you as a person and we should all be equal.
What does Bailey argue are the characteristics of alternative media?
Bailey aregues that alternative media have a small and orientated towards specific communities, possibly disadvantaged groups foe example Adbusters has articles on refugees or people who are underrepresented in the mainstream media. Alternative medias are typically horizontally structured and intergrated meaning the organisation only has a few layers of mamagment and therefore allows a wider audience to have access and isn’t domed by big brands.
Explain the similarities between the theories of Curran and Seaton in addition to Megan Le Masurier?
Megan Le Masurier’s theory suggests that independent magazines may not be made purely for commercial gain but they are deliberately made for sale. Even though Adbusters is a left wing , independent magazine and isn’t driven by profit or commercial gain but instead driven by readers and tries their hardest to subvert these capitalist/mainstream ideologies but because we live in a capitalist society they are still governed by the need to make money , so they can provide wages for the people who work for them and for them to live. Therefore similar to Curran and Seaton’s theory as alough not driven by the same logic of profit and power as larger publishing houses, they (smaller publishers) still need to generate revenue in order to survive, showing that even though Adbuster main aim isn’t profit and power they still condone to this as they need to make money to survive, however with some of the profit they make they use it to fund activist projects adding to the fact they are reader driven
How is Adbusters funded and what is different about them compared to mainstream avenues of funding?
The Adbusters Media Foundation is what allows the Canadian publishers to maintain their editorial independence over their magazine.Adbusters is funded by reader support which allows them to remain fiercely independent , while also being reader supported through subscriptions from their website and sales of the magazine, but also through a ‘culture shop’ where you can buy different magazine packages and a range of merchiandise. Abusters also has donate tab where you can donate to the Adbusters Media foundation which helps to reinvests the revenue it generates in the magazine itself and in the causes it supports.The magazine also doesn’t promote advertising/ has no advert further supporting their independence.However within mainstream avenues brands such as British Nylon will pay a large sum of money (£7000) towards your magazine just to have a feature page or double page spread about their products which in all will go towards funding their magazine and cover price however Adbusters and other independent magazine do not reply on advertising. Mainstream magazines have vertically structured organisations meaning they a chain of management with staffed professionals unlike Independent magazines.
How does zinio demonstrate the impact of technology on the magazine industry?
Zinio is the worlds largest newsstand that has interactive magazines for your enjoyment. Digital magazine subscriptions, over 6,000 publications. Zinio demonstartes the impact of technology on the magazine industry as the website has a large array of different publications meaning readers/viewers have an endless supply of magazines; zinio further demonstrates the impact of technology on the magazine industry as you are able to have easy access to magazines anytime/all the time, it also allows publications to reach further audiences as people can view this website anywhere, however this can impact the magazine industry as more people will be accessing magazines online and signing up for subscriptions creating a lack of printed versions of the magazines possibly leading to many retailers losing out on money.
Molly Goldthorpe Media 