One form of culture jamming discussed in the book is adbusting. People modify advertisements to undermine their intended meaning.
Similarly, people can alter a popular ad to give it an implied meaning.
Take for example, an famous Apple advertisement from the 1984 Superbowl. The commercial shows men, all dressed in the same prison-type, uniform marching down a long dark hallway. A woman dressed in bright clothes is running down a similar hallway carrying a sledge hammer. The men enter a room single-file and sit down in front of a large screen where an angry man is shouting. The men all stare at the screen as if absorbing the message. The woman runs into the room being chased by police, but before they can catch her she shatters the screen and a message about Apple appears.
On January 24th Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like "1984."
Essentially, the ad is saying that Apple's new Macintosh computer would save us from the totalitarian society described in George Orwell's novel, 1984.
More recently, a similar adverisement was posted on YouTube. In fact, it was the exact same ad, but with a few major adjustments.
It starts off the same way, with the men marching and the woman running down the gloomy hallway. She's wearing a similar outfit to that of the lady in the first ad, accept that she has an Apple iPod on her waist and a Barack Obama symbol on her shirt.
Instead of listening to an evil dictator, the men are absorbing the words of Hilary Clinton.
After the woman breaks the screen a message comes up that says,
On January 14th the Democratic primary witll begin and you'll see why 2008 won't be like "1984".
The advertisement, which was created by Obama for America, was clearly trying to relate the idea of Clinton as president to having a totalitarian leader.
The Obama for America campaign was using media activism to portray a very negative image of Hilary Clinton.
The nature of the ad also ties into the idea of hegemony, dominant ideology, and interpolation.
First, Clinton appears to be forcing her ideas on the masses by making them sit in this room and listen to her speak. It is almost as if they have been brain-washed into believing everything she says.
Second, Clinton is trying to impress upon the people her own ideologies. Clinton says, "I don't want people who already agree with me. I want honest, serious, patriotic, hardworking people."
She keeps talking about the conversation they are having together, but really it is her speaking to them without any opportunity for feedback.
Finally, there is a point in the commercial where Clinton says, "I want people who want to be part of a team, the American team."
She is addressing the people as part of her team, so they will feel included and not question her motives.
The Obama for America campaign used an already popular commercial to portray a negative image of Hilary Clinton in an attempt to make her appear like a dictator from a "Big Brother" society. The ad has obviously caught on, with over 3.7 million views and 13,500 comments on You Tube since it was posted in March of this year.
The real test for advertisments such as these is not whether or not they are popular but how much of an impact they have on the audience.
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