By: Eleftheria Lekakis (University of Sussex)

Session type: Short exercise, Undergrad and grad, small and medium size group

Topics:

• Social justice

• Social change

• Media studies

 

Introduction to the teaching example:

This is an exercise that can be incorporated into any session related to (media) activism, particularly related to anti-consumerism, branding and advertising resistance. It will also be relevant to any (critical) advertising module where students can reflect on the opportunities and hindrances of producing and disseminating activist content.

Here’s how it works:

1. Typically, students are first introduced to counter-hegemonic communication related to social and environmental change (e.g. Adbusters, Subvertisers International or similar groups/networks targeting mass consumerism and advertising).
2. Then, they are shown a number of examples (e.g. https://subvertisers-international.net/).
3. They are then asked (in small groups, 3-4 people) to create their own anti-consumerist messages that utilise the language and symbols of brands ('culture jams'), design their dissemination strategy and reflect on the possibilities and limitations of reaching a mass audience.

One variation is to have the instuctor designate specific issues that students should address (e.g. plastics and pollution, labour exploitation, waste, etc), or invite the students to agree on specific issues. It depends on the group, but in the second case more time should be given to the activity.

What I have found works well about this activity is that students feel empowered in 'taking over' the language of advertising and branding to create messages for the 'greater good', as a critical public pedagogy. Producing, rather than consuming such communications gives students an insight into the power of advertising, and allows them to move beyond its ultimate target (i.e., consumerism). Sometimes they can be positivist or pessimistic about technological affordances, but this is also useful to create a debate where they can reflect on a number of critical issues related to media studies: personalisation, commercialisation, surveillance, data colonialism, and the dialectical relationship between control and resistance. 

This is usually a fun, uplifting and critical example of student engagement with anti-consumerism.