My work requires a lot of promotion as well. I've been making andmarketing cultural products (aside from my own artwork, which is a bit of a different issue) for about 10 years. It's really important that the marketing and the experience of the marketing remain distinct from the product, and the experience of the product. I like the exercise of truthfully articulating the value of, say, an art magazine, to a broad audience, and trying to attract new readers. But I am nervous of the fact that the buzz I create can sometimes replace the actual intellectual experience of, say, the magazine. It's important to be vigilant about the distinction.
Grass roots politics is the same. We want a bike lane on certain road, so we organize a media stunt that is also a party - use imaginative props, good photo-ops, yummy snacks, cute young people and beer, to build a momentum around the idea. But there's no mistaking the media event for the bike lane itself, the lives saved, the improved air quality, etc.
With election campaigns, however, there is NO CONTENT except the show. It's really infuriating, and it's why we end up talking on and on about a yawp. We don't get the goods, so there is nothing to latch onto except the propaganda. I don't feel that its very significant whether it is the mainstream media talking about it, or individual bloggers, it's still just empty optics. This is how people decide to who to vote for, and I don't like it.
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Grass roots politics is the same. We want a bike lane on certain road, so we organize a media stunt that is also a party - use imaginative props, good photo-ops, yummy snacks, cute young people and beer, to build a momentum around the idea. But there's no mistaking the media event for the bike lane itself, the lives saved, the improved air quality, etc.
With election campaigns, however, there is NO CONTENT except the show. It's really infuriating, and it's why we end up talking on and on about a yawp. We don't get the goods, so there is nothing to latch onto except the propaganda. I don't feel that its very significant whether it is the mainstream media talking about it, or individual bloggers, it's still just empty optics. This is how people decide to who to vote for, and I don't like it.
- sally mckay 1-30-2004 9:51 pm