[For those who have not seen this brilliant doc. this can also be viewed online. Also, check out this interesting interview].
Five major themes emerge in the documentary:
- The Clout of Media Giants
- The Symbiotic Relationship Between The Media and Teenagers
- Where Are the Adults?
- What's this Doing to Kids?
- The Coarsening of Culture
Rushkoff wrote about this subject in Coercion where he says, "The techniques of coercion have advanced so far over the past several decades that we no longer live in a world where the best man wins. It's a world where the person who has made us believe he is the best man wins."
When I first viewed this documentary, I found myself most shocked by the thought that no matter what a person does, it seems impossible to resist the lure of the advertizing industries, but is this so? Do we all need to simply concede to whatever the latest and greatest trends are? Or is it possible to resist? Or is there a third alternative... One where there can be a negotiation between producer and consumer - making the consumer in essence a co-producer?
Robert McChesney graphically refers to this as the colonization of today's youth culture - exept the tanks and guns are media. I would tend to agree with McChesney that this seems to be the intention of most of the media industry, it doesn't mean that this automatically means that concession is automatic or enforced. To build on the colonial metaphor, colonization does not mean that everyone hegemonically follows the ideologies imparted by the colonialist. Some do. Some are involved in anarchic resistance. Others are involved in what Paulo Freire calls limited co-operation - a critical, dialogical posture of negotiation - which recognizes that there are both winfalls and pitfalls with any political system. A youth culture that is critically conscious can accept or reject the ideas being propogated by media industries... However, the imperative word remains 'conscious.' Merchants of Cool is a documentary which serves as a loud speaker to awaken the giant - a gauntlet which challenges today's teens to recognize their power and influence.
I would really recommend this documentary to anyone who is seriously interested in exploring the relationship of media and youth culture - particularly as a launchpad into further dialogue and research.
[NOTE: For Project 117 students - but others are invited to participate]
1. Read Malcolm Gladwell's article.
2. Explore the Frontline sight in further detail.
3. Take one of the major themes from Merchants of Cool and post your reflections/insights/additional links.
4. Finally, is it possible to escape this type of cool-hunting by consuming "Christian alternatives?" Where does Christian merchandizing fit into this?
14 comments:
Thanks Keith for your comments (as well as your 'anonymous alter-ego!'
What's your reference for reference-based advertising? Who writes on this? I did a quick google of the term and came up with nothing.
The word of mouth idea of marketing is very much a part of media strategists like Look-Look and other cool-hunters. This is part of the marketers strategy (as referenced in MOC).
Also, there are definitely resistance groups. These groups will be engaged in what is called 'Culture Jamming.' - of which the group AdBusters is most famous.
I also think your alter-ego knows what 'hegemonically' means. If not, I'd suggest he looks it up online! :)
wow steve..........will have to get back to you on this.....when is it due?
OK - apologies Keith, - I guess that posting wasn't from you, but come on "ANONYMOUS" - Let's put a face to that mouth! :)
Steve
Jenn,
You guys will need to post by Thursday night. Looking forward seeing the posts.
Steve
The movie we watched was good. it is not all that new though if you think about it ever since media as far as the TV goes came out, they start to tell you what to buy and what to wear. Ad Reps pay millions of dollars to play a 30second ad on tv and even moer when a big event comes on TV.so how do we stop this we cant but we can make a influnce to become a cool hunter yourself and keep up with the fashion the music the games ever thing pop culture as a youth worker should become something you know. You can be a part of it but nit be of it, you can know about it but not agree as long as you are not stupid to it and you try to make a change that is good.
Hey Steve,
Let me first of all say that it's great to have you and your lovely wife back in the office. Hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas and a fun new year with family and friends.
Now as for the this little blogging assignment, I must say that I really didn't connect with Gladwell's article. These people get paid a good bit to do some marketing, horay for them.
I don't think thier marketing theatrics is next best force since Star Wars. I think those who make it a big deal to them are affected by it and those who really don't care just don't care. They spoke about Hush Puppies in that article and how they supposedly blew up. Well I remember owning a pair of hush puppies and I was totally ignorant to how many millions were sold. I needed a shoe and one day my dad brought home a pair, asked me to try it on, they fit and thus I guess I became a statistic.
So what does that mean? I don't know if I get what these articles and documentaries seek to accomplish. Yes it's great to know a little of what goes on behind the scence, but am I supposed to boycott my wardrobe because a bunch of people did some research on what they thought I'd like to or should be wearing? I don't know if I can really understand the issue here since I am not the greatest direct consumer of a lot of these goods. About 75% of my wardrobe is made up of stuff given to me and last September was the first time I ever purchased a pair of sneakers, and the only music CD I ever bought was Destiny's Child Survivor as a gift for my girlfriend back in 2001, so I don't think I'd be considered the ideal consumer specimen.
I might be missing the point of this whole thing but maybe through me sharing my thoughts I can be enlighten somewhat.
And now about escaping to Christian Alternatives, I seriously am not too jolly about that. Wouldn't the same amount of marketing go into those products? I've seen a lot of so called "Christian Alternatives" that are basically Old Navy and Nikes with WWJD instead of a swoosh. Is there some good that is supposed to be accomplished by this? I'm not really seeing it, unless you look at the production situation and say that Christians would kick out sweat shops and give half their revenues to world services...... maybe I could see myself jumping on that ship. But for now I'll do with what I have and not worry too much about staying cool, uncool, nuetral, half-and-half or whatever. Thanks for reading! It's been REAL!
Hi Kyle,
Thanks for your comments.
I would agree that this is something which is not a recent debate. In fact, as far back as the 1930s, writers like Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer have been criticizing musical expressions like jazz and the doo-wop as being agents for social and political control.
Even earlier, in the mid 1800s, 'the novel' was a topic of controversy - in particular, the writings of Charles Dickens!!! Today, we would consider his work classic!
The debate has always been built around the question of whether media standardizes or homogenizes people (makes them all the same) or whether individuality and difference can come from such engagement.
In Merchants of Cool, it seemed that even the then unknown Insane Clown Posse were the latest, greatest model of resistance, but like Rushkoff says, they were bought out and sold back to the alternative audience. Is there any way to escape it? If so, how?
Regarding becoming a cool hunter: I think it's important to be AWARE of what is influencing youth, but this doesn't mean that we have to be a slave to it. I agree with you that we need to try to make positive changes in the lives of the teens/kids we're working with.
Great posting Kyle!
Steve
Hi there "Keepin it Real",
Thanks for the comments - particularly about your reflections regarding your own relationship to consumer culture.
I would agree with you in many ways. I've never really been a trend follower myself. I'm not really interested in wearing the latest fashions coming out of Abercrombie because it just has never interested me. I've never listened to music because everyone else is doing it. My hair isn't cut according to the styles and standards of GQ... but this doesn't mean that I am not affected by media culture, or that I can be excused from not being aware of the cultural products which are shaping emerging generations.
I think that it is important to understand the process behind how products are marketed because it helps to 'denaturalize' them. When something just appears to be a normal part of everyday life, that is exactly what marketers want.
Remember how terrified Dorothy and her compadres were when they met The Wizard of Oz? He seemed giant and overwhelming... until Toto pulled open the curtain to expose the fragile man behind the smoke and mirrors. That is what Gladwell, Rushkoff and others are doing. It might seem like going around telling people that there's no Santa, but (I would argue) - for good reason.
I have a HUGE problem with kids spending all their money to buy $100+ shoes when they can't afford to live and eat. Why do they prioritize their economic selves in this way - because that pair of shoes will earn them SOCIAL CAPITAL in their neighborhood. However, that capital is being built on an illusion - smoke and mirrors which don't liberate, but rather imprison! That's an injustice which I'm prepared to stand up against!
Let me clarify - I wouldn't say that this means that anyone wearing Nikes is bad, or even that it's bad to wear Nikes. It's more about helping people to make choices not based on the lure of false promises being made by marketing/branding; but rather on something deeper and more substantial.
Regarding the Christian media industry - I STRONGLY agree with you. I would really like to see Christians wake up to this reality... because a wolf dressed in sheep clothing is still a wolf! A swoosh replaced with WWJD is still lining SOMEBODY'S pockets!
A LOT TO THINK ABOUT!
By the way, thanks for the welcome back. It's good to be back in the office.
Steve
Hi Scott,
Your question about the symbiotic nature of youth and media is an important one. Rushkoff's idea of a feedback loop is an important analogy - we need to recognize that our decision to consume is the energy which fuels the machine.
Last night at NYU, I saw a brilliant clip from South Park which illustrates this. (Forgive me for referencing one of the most irreverant shows on TV! ...but it happens to also be pretty perceptive inspite of its irreverence!) In the clip, the kids from South Park are trying to burn down the WalMart which has come to South Park. They eventually realize that THEY (the consumer) are the heart of WalMart, and that if they choose to pay a little more money at a local store, they could put the megacorporation out of business. However, once they burn it down, they all go to a drug mart which turns into an alternative WalMart... which they again burn to the ground. The show finishes with the citizens of South Park saying they have finally learned their lesson, at which point they all head off to the next store...
This cycle of consumerism is the great conundrum which MoC explores. To be honest, it's very difficult to say how to stop the madness...
It's very much like overeating. Often, it's possible to eat just because there's food available and not because one's hungry. It requires a radical reconditioning to say no to the massive mounds of spaghetti (YUM!) which the local Diner serves.
These are the challenges of living in a culture of excess.
I think that what Rushkoff is trying to say is that the relationship between media and youth CAN be about negotiation between producer and consumer. We have the right (and the ability) to say NO.
Steve
NOTE: THIS IS PRATIK'S POSTING. I RELOCATED IT FOR HIM.
The movie we watched was actual the rel discription o fht estuff happening in today's world and the way the teens and young adults who are so called "merchants of cool" go astray.
The movie totally describes about theattitude in which young teens get out and the way media attracts them and which gives me a clear picture about that the teens learn a lot from media, and on the contrary media is the most catchy learning source which teens ahve come across.
As seen there were alot of spot where in noticed that during this period this might be their journey from adolscent to adulthood.
But as a youth worker to carry on the tempo it is necessary to carry on the same momentum that was in the movie of the so called "Pop Culture."
The movie also shows the way teens are very strict about the coolness about brands and wearing stuff.
Hi Pratik,
Thanks for your posting.
I'm really interested in your comment about the journey from adolescence to adulthood. That's a really interesting comment, and one that also greatly interests me.
There's an anthropologist named Victor Turner who talks about this transition as what he calls 'liminality.' This is a time where adolescents participate in a rite of passage which serves as a threshold to distinguish childhood and adulthood.
In American culture, we don't really have a specifically acknowledged 'rite of passage' like most other cultures. However, some anthropologists would argue that when there is not a rite of passage in a culture, people will create their own.
Sometimes I wonder whether the quest to 'be cool' provides this rite of passage? Is it possible that trying on alternative identities signifies this?
NOTE: THIS IS LOURDES' COMMENTS FROM PRATIK'S POSTING
Well about the movie that we saw in class "The Merchants of Cool" i believe that it was in fact interesting. To my surprise i had the idea that it was the media who convinced the teen culture to buy there products i had no idea that they in fact study carefully the youth to know what's cool for them and what's not. Teens are right now one of the largest groups of consumers. The parents are the ones who sustain there consumerism. The thing that i considered something to worry about was the fact that these teen culture experts would credit the alot of the money that parents give there teen as "guilt money. It's horrible to think that this would be the method that the parents would use to subtitud there lack of dedication. It's even worst to concieve that the media industries are knowing more about the teen culture and there needs than there own family. I don't know about you but think these industries could care less about the teens life just because... it's all about money making. To be honest i'm a bit worry, i mean there is nowhere that can escape the media industry. Does this mean that we as Christian are also being pulled in by it? And about the whole teen culture is it possible that the church knows nothing about teen culture? i guess i am worry about what are generation and the next are going to turn out to be and the role of the church in it.
Well that's about what i thought about the movie, i'm just worried.
hey steve,
read the article by ?malcolm gladwell? but didn't know what you meant by checking out the frontline site.
the doc further cemented my views that media influences our everyday lives. even down to our toothpaste and toilet paper....lol.... it's just a cycle. if the product doesn't make it, or if it's not cool enough, that's it.
i do believe that as christians this theory does also affect us. even if we intend to only purchase things classified as christian. hello we're still purchasing. and even if we make our own stuff, where do the patterns come from and where does the material come from? yeah sure you can choose whatever you like, but that choice is still influenced by someone else. you didn't totally make it up all yourself.
anyways, i think christian merchandising fits right in with that of the secular world. seriously, christians are trying to make that which is of the world and make it for God. we're taking stuff that works elsewhere and altering it to our cause. thus the jesus is my homeboy shirts etc. when in all reality if we want to make a difference, we need to break the wheel. i don't know how we're going to do this. but if there's a will there's a way. and besides, we've got God on our side...."God is bigger than the boogie man, He's bigger than godzilla or the MONSTERS ON TV."
jenn
The entire documentary scared me. To think that so much of what is in our world is influenced by these "cool hunters!" The funny thing is, I remember the commercials they mentioned: you know, the one's with the big basketball player plugging Sprite, and little images of him with money bags popping up with each good thing he says about the product. I remember laughing at it then.
As I'm sitting here, I'm looking at my empty bottle of 7-Up, with my DVD collection nearby, as well as all my books (including the major trend of Harry Potter and all my Bibles), with my cell phone near to hand, my blank CDs, my Tresemme Hairspray, the Autumn Blaze ticket, the cross made out of a palm leaf, my overflowing CD case, my Ice Breakers Unleashed Gum, etc...I realize that even I, someone who likes to think that I make up my own mind, am a pawn of the merchants of cool. I never would have heard of Harry Potter if my friends hadn't mentioned it around the time the first movie came out. Actually, I swore that I wouldn't get caught up in the hype. I did't say that for religious reasons, but rather that I thought people were blowing it out of proportion. A few months later, I was hooked on the books. Granted, I liked them because they were well-written. A lot of things that are being sold are great (not everything, but usually you get some good stuff), but how many of us would even notice these things if someone didn't determine that they were cool, thus putting them in the spotlight? This allows consumers the opportunity to see what's available, and to eventually decide that they want it.
I like to think that I choose what I like, and if nobody else likes it, oh well. To a certain extent, that's true. But as I get older (granted, I'm only nearing 22, but still...) I realize how much I'm looking for approval from someone. With my taste in books, movies, CDs, etc., I'm trying to win approval by liking a wide range of things so that I can fit in with any group. If someone listens to Christian Music, there are my Christian CDs. If someone likes watching action movies, there's my Gladiator movie. If someone likes Romance novels, there's my "secret" stash! I never realized, until recently, that I was doing this to be "cool" for even a moment.
As for how I feel about "Cool-Hunters..." I think they give themselves too much credit. They choose subjects from a select group of people, the one's they label as the trendsetters. Who's to say that the trendsetter of today is the trendsetter of tomorrow? Why can't some wallflower set a trend? If people like something, they'll get it/do it/etc. too. Granted, it might take longer, but it can still happen that way.
Not everyone is into trendy clothes/etc. If you look at my wardrobe, it is either from Wal-Mart, work, church with the Salvation Army, or from the clearance rack of Dots. The reason: the cheap prices. Now this could be viewed as another trend, in a way. Wal-Mart has seen the need for cheap prices, and has set them. Instead of having cool-hunters, they use the medium of decreased pricing in order to lure people in. I'm not ashamed to admit that I bargain hunt at Wal-Mart.
My point? As much as we try to say that the media doesn't affect us, and we can choose what we like without anyone else's influence, it's just not true. Somehow, somewhere, someone is telling us that this price is good, or this shirt is a good one, or this band is the best, or that piercings (of which I have several) are the hottest thing, and the wilder the hair color you dye your hair, the wilder you are (as I sit here without any idea what my natural color looks like anymore!). We are all pawns, and there is no escaping the commercialism that is our lives.
This is my two cents. Don't know if it's worth much! =)
Post a Comment