By: Olivia Ecker, Serena Roche & Gina menconi Chapter 6:
Photoshop for Democracy The New Relationship between Politics &
Popular Culture
Slide 2
Introduction Spring 2004, short edited video was produced from
footage from News Cast & Donald Trumps hit show The Apprentice
(2004) circulating the internet. The video is designed by True
Majority, a liberal advocacy group in the United States, as a mock
interview for The Apprentice & George Bush assigned the tasks
as a president. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fKPKhXFxs4 Ben
Cohen (Ben and Jerrys ice cream), True Majority Action founder,
says, its goal was to increase voter participation in the 2004
election and to rally behind the progressive agenda.
Slide 3
In order for True Majority to get their ideas into circulation,
they needed to: - Create images that are vivid, memorable, and
evocative. - Content has to be consistent with what people know
more or less about the world. Through this, sending the information
and seeking out to people who participate, could be the start
towards a political action.
Slide 4
The use of popular culture is taking a shift in the publics
role in the political process: using everyday experiences of
citizens; to help change the way people think about their community
and power, so they are able to mobilize collective intelligence to
transform their government.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKsoXHYICqU Crush on Obama Girl,
whose video made her an internet sensation gave a boost to the
youth on Obama.
Slide 5
Popular culture influenced the way that campaigns courted their
voters more importantly it shaped the public processed and acted
upon a political discourse (Jenkins 219). Some satirical images of
Obama
Slide 6
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised The use of the new digital
media like the internet has given way to politics. - The 2004,
election have use the insurgence of the new digital media to change
the nature of their campaign. This chapter based off of a song,
called the Revolution will not be televised by Gil Scot Heron.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS3QOtbW4m0
Slide 7
The New political culture reflects two media system: -
Broadcast and commercial: mainstream monitors the channel and
looking for content to co-opt and circulate. - Narrowcast and
Grassroots: grassroots depend on shared frame of reference created
by traditional intermediaries, like the Trump Fires Bush example
earlier. Empowerment age When challenge Citizens challenge the
power of entrenched institutions: If the information is power, then
this new technology which is the first to evenly distribute
information is really distributing power. The power is shifting
from institutions that have always been run top down, hording
information at the top, telling us how to run our lives, to a new
paradigm of power that is democratically distributed and shared by
us, celebrates Trippi.
Slide 8
More than ever politics has become a convergence culture: -
candidates can now build a base on the internet, so the public can
have the right to participate in the access of information given,
as well as the need for TV to win the election. Cultural Jamming A
political tactic that reflected the logic of the digital revolution
and blogging seems illustrative of a convergence culture. Blogging
is a form of grassroots convergence: -It Pools and taps information
by using grassroots expertise -Debating evidence and examining all
the available information -Most powerfully, challenges one
another's assumption.
Slide 9
Blogging has changed the dynamics of society: - in traditional
news and public opinion - in campaign finance reform has helped to
shift the control of candidate and parties into independent action
groups. (ex) The Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
http://www.observer.com/2010/media/huffington-post-
grabs-peter-goodman-new-york-times#
Slide 10
Fans, Consumers, Citizens See the way the campaigns were
learning from the fan culture in order to broaden the participation
within that campaign - Meetup.org - Moveon.org - Bush in 30 Seconds
http://www.moveon.org/bushin30seconds/
Slide 11
Use grassroot media to mobilize and mainstream media to
publicize. Project Greenlight Convergence politics Contest run by
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to encourage film makers to make a
independent film regarding political activism - CBS wouldnt air the
commercials because they were too controversial - They wouldn't
give any air time to special interest groups
Slide 12
Prehistory Many of these bloggers have a lot of opposition to
the mainstream media - As well as to opposition to what they see as
corporately controlled Give the ability to fans to be able to
connect online
Slide 13
Photoshop Have the ability to manipulate pictures to make a
political statement These images represent a lot to young Americans
- Freakingnews.com - Fark.com Photoshop for Democracy Argue that
these images are bad substitution to the more traditional ways we
get are information However, no matter how the information is
presented (campaign brochure) the conversation will still be
started This allows amateurs to get their images across to a much
larger audience
Slide 14
Entertaining the Monitorial Citizen More and more young
Americans are getting their information from entertainment sources
Pew Foundation - 2000 39% got campaign information from newscasts -
2004 23% got campaign information from newscast Fond that people
who were getting their information from such sources were much less
informed about what was going on in the world
Slide 15
The Informed Citizen This notion came about when it became
available for citizens to be able to follow debates The idea of the
digital revolution now allows citizens to be able to known
everything there is to known about politics and past politicians -
It is not possible for people to be able to know everything
Slide 16
The Monitorial Citizen These citizens have more information
then those in the past but it is argued that they may no all know
what to do with that information As seen in this book, many people
are learning how to share, deploy, trust, evaluate, contest and act
upon their knowledge in their everyday lives - Should do this in
regards to the parody news shows and this will lead to more
participation in democratic decision making
Slide 17
Factors Discouraging Children & Young People from Consuming
News Children find the language of politics unfamiliar Find
politics uninvolving compared to the immediacy offered by popular
entertainment News presents the world as hermetically sealed from
their everyday lives Children and youth feel powerless in their
everyday lives Have difficulty imagining how they might exert power
in a politically meaningful fashion Not allowed to vote Not defined
as political subjects Do not feel addressed by the news Want to see
change in the process by which they are socialized into citizenship
Playing Politics in Alphaville
Slide 18
People are allowed to play with power on a micro level Social
contract between participants and a sense that their actions have
consequences within the community Active role to play where
individual voices matter Asked to think through complex ethical
issues Invested in their characters and their communities Sims
Online: Video Games Combine With Politics
Slide 19
Organized crime would run rampant Community leaders would rally
against con artists and prostitutes Imaginary elections would
devolve into mudslinging and manipulation Sims Online: The
Presidential Election Held In Virtual Game Mr. President would run
again Ashley Richardson in virtual presidential election Virtual
presidential election attracted national and international media
attention NPR hosted a debate between the candidates Alphaville
Herald began, small town newspaper serving the needs of community
Sims Online: What Developers Never Expected To Happen
Slide 20
Sims Online: Important Political Issues Emerge Through Game
World of the game vs. world beyond the game Represented different
perspectives on what would be best for community Choice of leaders
would affect the way players experience game world Candidate Idea:
information booths to education citizens about scammers Some
players 5 years too young to vote in actual elections Age card
Power in virtual world, little power in everyday life Players have
impact in their community Exert leadership Influence the actions of
online worlds Real power to make change
Slide 21
Sims Online: Critique of Online Communities Adults still prefer
engagement in actual communities Involvement in actions that
involve real world consequences They dont matter because they are
not face to face
Slide 22
Sims Online: Online Election Relates to Presidential Election
Debate over voters: doesnt specify who is eligible to vote Question
of earning the right to vote vs. open voting for everyone Nothing
is ever just a game. Games have consequences. Games also give us an
opportunity to break out of the roles and actions that we might be
forced into in real life. I decided to take advantage of that
opportunity. I freed my game. Online election compared to
Bush-Cheney vs. Al Gore: The Stolen Election American Democracy
even feels broken in virtual world Alphaville Herald Editor,
Ludlow, expelled from newspaper due to creating a commercial game
generated only protest -creates question of free speech in a
corporate-controlled environment
Slide 23
Sims Online: Why Gamers Participate in Virtual Communities
People make passionate, but short term investments Share own
beliefs and desires Play with citizenship and democracy Product
thought experiment Discuss different perspectives and experiences
Worked together to perfect governing mechanisms of communities
Understand and protect their values Voices as citizens Encourage
youth to think more deeply about social policy Encourage reflection
Connect issues experienced in play to everyday lives
Slide 24
Sims Online: Why Gamers Participate in Virtual Communities
Become more engaged in local and national elections Knowledge
culture is to learn how to fix things that are broken Indentify
problems and pose solutions Sims Online: Political Issues Discussed
in Virtual Communities Unmasking a global terrorist network
Puzzle-solving skills to track down terrorists after September 11,
2001 Identify corruption and waste in U.S. Federal Government
spending Focus is on rational solutions to complex policy
issues
Slide 25
Where did Vote Naked begin and what does it mean? Advertisement
for the Webby Awards Feminine bare feet with a blurry bed in the
background Slogan was Vote Naked Suggested that the computer now
allows us to conduct the most public actions within the privacy of
our own home in whatever state of dress or undress we desire.
Imagine a time when we are as comfortable in our roles as citizens
as we are within our own skins, when politics may be a familiar,
everyday, and intimate aspect of our daily lives much the way
popular culture is today. We watch television in our underwear; we
dress up to vote. Vote Naked could also mean that politics makes us
feel raw, exposed, and vulnerable Vote Naked
Slide 26
Questions: Politics vs. Popular Culture Today What would it
take for us to respond to the political world in the same way as we
respond to popular culture? How do we break through the sense of
distance and alienation many Americans feel toward the political
process? How do we generate the same level of emotional energy
challenging the current Powers That Be in Washington that fans
routinely direct against the Powers That Be in Hollywood? When will
we be able to participate within the democratic process with the
same ease that we have come to participate in the imaginary realms
constructed through popular culture?
Slide 27
Mobilizing Popular Culture in 2004 Presidential Election to
Encourage Voter Awareness and Voter Participation Technologies and
techniques Fan communities Concerts, performances Films Photoshop
parodies Built games: imaginary communities that govern themselves
Television shows including The Apprentice
Slide 28
Connecting Because of Political vs. Separating Due to Politics
Heal rift that separates Red America from Blue America Politics
makes it harder for people to communicate with their families,
neighborhoods, schools, churches, and workplaces Attack Politics
make people defend their political choices and some people even
become unwilling to share political views to maintain
relationships
Slide 29
Slavery and reconstruction New Deal Great Depression Civil
Rights Movement Vietnam War Polarizing Debates Non-Polarizing
Debates Gulf War Economic Policies Cultural Values
Slide 30
Create quality and diverse information people can access Learn
by sharing insights Sharing beliefs Enhance democracy and global
understanding Model new protocols Consequences of technological
change Experimentation and conscious effort Core principals to
define interactions with each other Knowledge Cultures
Slide 31
Questions to Think About Do you feel that organizations that
use everyday experiences of people to relate into politics will
them get involved to transform their government? What do you think
is the best way to empower people? Does making politics into a kind
of popular culture allow consumers to apply fan expertise to their
civic responsibilities? Do you think that the youth of American
today has the ability to separate what is fact and what is fantasy
from shows such as The Daily Show? Are you a part of any virtual
communities that effect politics similar to the way The Sims Online
did to presidential elections? If so, which ones and why? Do you
agree with the slogan Voted Naked? Why or why not?
