Culture Jamming, or
sniggling, is the act of using existing
mass media to comment on those very media themselves, using the original medium's communication method. It is based on the idea that
advertising is little more than
propaganda for established interests, and that there is little escape from this propaganda in industrialized nations. Culture jamming differs from artistic appropriation (which is done for art's sake), and from
vandalism where destruction or defacement is the primary goal.
Culture jamming is a form of activism and a resistance movement to the hegemony of popular culture, based on the ideas of "guerrilla communication" and the "detournement" of popular icons and ideas. It has roots in the German concept of spass guerilla, and the Situationist International. Forms of culture jamming include adbusting, performance art, graffiti art and hacktivism (notably cyber squatting).
Examples of Culture Jamming:
- Billboard modifications, done in the style of the original billboard.
- The appropriation of corporate logos for evangelical purposes. Christian groups have appropriated the 'Cover The Earth' logo of the Sherwin-Williams paint company, and modified the Coca-Cola trademark to read, 'Jesus, he's the real thing.'
- Modifying slogans to create political statements. For example "Just do it... or else!" was used as a modified slogan to comment on Nike's alleged sweat shop[?] practices.
- The band Negativland's Dispepsi album, in which recordings related in some way to soft drinks are used to comment (in a negative way) on the beverage industry and its marketing practices.
See also: KLF, Subvertising, AdBusters
Culture jammers: