Investigating the anti-consumerism movenent in North America: the case of adbusters
Abstract
This dissertation investigates the anti-consumerist movement called “culture
jamming,” the practice of critiquing mass media messages and their influence on culture
by subverting their messages through artistic satire. Culture jamming, which views the
media as a means of constructing a false reality, intends to challenge the frame of mind
that internalizes media messages without thinking. Culture jammers, practitioners of this
mass media critique practice, can be viewed as spokespeople for postmodern era culture
critics. They create an alternative consumer resistance media that replies back to the mass
media messages based on existing media artifacts. This dissertation explores the critique
of advertising by culture jammers and how consumers respond to such anti-consumption
rhetoric.
It is important for advertising academicians to study consumer resistance
movements, specifically anti-consumerist media activism that directly attack the cultural
products of advertising. An in-depth investigation of such critical discourse would
provide the advertising literature with the insight needed to evolve into an allencompassing
arena. There is a significant lack in the body of knowledge in this area and
this dissertation aims to put one stone in this gap.
Thus, this dissertation aims to investigate the effects of consumers’ attitudes
toward subvertisements on attitudes toward the brand depending on brand
loyalty/familiarity. We hypothesize that except for the extreme groups on the loyalty
scale, the consumers will struggle to distinguish between subvertisements and
advertisements, which will result in all messages being read as original ads. As a result,
subvertisements will reinforce their pre-test attitudes toward the brand. Thus,
subvertisements will not function as oppositional messages; on the contrary, their effects
will be similar to those of co-opted messages. This dissertation aims to gain insight on
advertising professionals’ views on and anti-consumption rhetoric and co-optation
strategies as well as consumer resistance movements
Department
Description
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