...... and did some assignments
activist internet
Foreword: In grade school, I had to write book reports. They usually talked about the plot, the characters, and other basic things. Because it was grade school, I didn't go into much detail. I didn't analyse much or explore deeper issues of imagery and what lies beneath the basic plot. This is looking suspiciously like one of those book reports. So, I'm wondering if, in the future, children in grade school will write website reports. They could discuss what the website is meant to do, the basic layout and structure, what kind of interaction it allows (if any), that kind of thing. Here's to a new artform, then. Or, if not an artform, a new kind of busywork for teachers to assign to small children. At least it promotes media literacy.
Adbusters espouses media awareness and dissent. PETA seeks to end the
suffering of animals. Wake Up Walmart puts pressure on Walmart to
improve their Corporate Social Responsibility. The three organizations
have different goals and targets. What various Adbusters websites, PETA
websites, and Wake Up Walmart have in common are their methodology and
tactics. Each website is a launching pad for a real world battle
against corporate negligence and irresponsibility. All of these sites
offer information and suggest ways to take action. They vary,
obviously, in which causes they pursue, but they are all cause
oriented. They vary in design, layout, concept and attitude, but they
all attempt to provide information in an engaging and user friendly
way. Some use blogs as a tool (Adbusters and Wake Up Walmart), all of
them allow visitors to sign up to mailing lists. Through the use of
different methods, all three organizations make attempts to reach,
inform, and mobilize their audiences.
All of the above mentioned websites are very slickly designed. They're
action packed and interactive to at least some degree. They are heavy
on visuals. Each site provides news of the cause it represents. Because
they are so pleasingly designed, without a div out of place, they
appeal to the user. Because they are action packed and interesting,
they promote warm fuzzies (a technical term, I assure you) about
their cause and righteous ire towards their targets. Because they are
well designed, well written, well researched and well executed, they
gain credibility. PETA even goes so far as to play the celebrity card.
Legions of pop and movie stars can be seen on PETA sites, fighting
against Kentucky Fried chicken and espousing a vegetarian lifestyle.
It's fine propaganda.
According to Propaganda and Persuasion, “Propaganda is the
deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate
cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the
desired intent of the propagandist”(Jowett & O'Donnell, 7).
Sounds about right. Let's compare, shall we? Deliberate: The above
mentioned slick execution of the sites in question speaks to extensive
planning. Their existence is not a mistake. Systematic: The websites
update regularly, bringing news of the cause, opinions from leaders,
and support from influential figures. Check. Shape perceptions: PETA
wants you to view KFC as a bad corporate citizen. The same goes for
Wake Up Walmart in relation to Walmart. Adbusters wants you to be a
more critical consumer of media or better yet, not a consumer at all.
They all want to shape your perception. Manipulate Cognition: After you
watch videos of the mistreatment of chickens, will you think about
chicken the same way? Not likely. You'll look at a chicken nugget and
scenes from PETA videos will come back to haunt you. Cognition duly
manipulated. Cause you to behave in a way that aids the cause of the
propagandist: Adbusters wants you to buy nothing on Buy Nothing Day. If
they can convince you through their materials to not shop on Black
Friday, that's a success. PETA wants you to sign a petition to improve
treatment of chickens destined for KFC. You see the slick site,
complete with devil horned Colonel Sanders, you watch the videos from
Pamela Anderson and Pink, you come around to their way of thinking. You
sign the petition.
In short, while I can't argue with the causes represented by the three
sites in question, they do seem to match up quite nicely to the
definition of propaganda. That isn't an inherently bad thing. It just
means that they have a better chance of furthering their causes than
websites that don't manipulate their users as expertly.
Works Cited
Jowett, Garth S., and Victoria O'Donnell. Propaganda and Persuasion. Sage Publications Inc, 2006.