Study Task 4: Triangulating and Harvard Referencing


1: Triangulation:

All three texts highlight how modern society and its its culture is primarily consumer based due to the fact that creative minds are being used to further  and reinforce consumerism due to the fact they '...have been brought up in a world in which the techniques and apparatus of advertising have persistently been presented to us as the most lucrative, effective and desirable means of using our talents.'(Garland, K, 1964). Furthermore all three agree that this is misdirected energy on the part of creative and that it should be used for more '...useful and more lasting forms of communication.'(Garland, K, 1964). However both Fuck Committees(Kalman, T, 1998) and First Things First 2000(Adbusters, 2000) are much more condemning in their view of popular culture and militant in their proposed reversal of creative priorities. For example, arguably due to the almost 40 year gap between First Things First(Garland, K, 1964), the other two sources both agree that the public has been warped and dulled by branding and marketing arguing that it has led to a '...reductive and immeasurably harmful code of public discourse.' (Adbusters, 2000) and that Corporations have ',,.become the sole arbiters of cultural ideas and taste...'(Kalman, T, 1998). Furthermore they claim that this reversal is urgently needed as 'Consumerism is running uncontested...'(Adbusters, 2000) and that the '...cracks in the wall.'(Kalman, T, 1998) need to be found in order to achieve this where as in contrast to this the original First Things First (Garland, K, 1964) does not  '...advocate the abolition of high pressure consumer advertising...'(Garland, K , 1964).

2 : Image Analysis:

The above image can be seen as an example of how creative culture has been appropriated in order to create effective market campaigns through which consumerisms is enforced. The images, styles and cultural significance of the figures, all creatives operating within the field of music, have been used in order to give Adidas products these same cultural associations in order to make them more appealing to the consumer, Therefore this can be seen as an example of the priorities that need to be reversed, as set out in the three texts, given that the artists in question have chosen to miss use their own image through product endorsement in order to further them selves, as well as Adidas, financially rather than focus on more creative or productive endeavours. 

3: Evaluation:

The underlying argument of The First Thins First Manifesto(Garland, K, 1964) is that creative such as designers, photographers illustrators etc. have their priories wrong in that they use their skills primarily for marketing purposes as opposed to more '...useful and more lasting forms of communication.'(Garland, K, 1964) which further the creative arts, culture and society as a whole. Furthermore it argues that it isn't simply creative that feel this way but also members of the public and that the reason this has occurred is that creatives are persistently told that marketing is the '...most lucrative, effective and desirable means of using our talents.'(Garland, K, 1964). However despite this it doesn't completely condemn consumerism or mass marketing stating that it doesn't '...advocate the abolition of high pressure consumer advertising...'(Garland, K , 1964) partly due to the fact it doesn't see it as feasible but also due to the suggestion that to do so would take '...the fun out of life' (Garland, K, 1964).

4: Paraphrase, Summarise

Fuck Committees(Kalman, T, 1998) theorises that modern creative culture is a 'struggle between individuals with jagged passion in their work and today's faceless corporate committees...'(Kalman, T , 1998). Furthermore it states that today's creatives, such as designers, writers, directors photographers etc. have '...been relegated to a role of corporate servitude..'(Kalman T, 1998) by corporations that '...claim to understand the needs of the mass audience...'(Kalman, T, 1998). What it means by this is that profession creatives are no longer putting their talents to furthering culture or expressing them selves but that the idiosyncrasies have been removed by corporate committees who instead want to produce '...thought-free, passion-free, cultural mush that will not be hated nor loved by anyone.'(Kalman, T, 1998). Instead all creative independence on part of the creator has been lost and that now corporations are now the sole pushers of culture and taste with an aim of appealing to the lowest common denominator.