Digital discourse / market mechanisms
Repeatedly touched upon during the forum, was the assertion that by using the Internet in cultural exchange, the commercial structures built into the peculiarity of the medium as well as the market mechanisms as such have to be taken into consideration. This was said in relation to their influence on the perception of cultures, on terms of value and on the artistic and cultural processes themselves.
Commercial structures of the Internet
The thoughts of Yu Yeon Kim on this theme are very complex. In her statement she wrote: »...The fact that contradiction and change is the very essence of the Internet, bodes well for its future. Yet we are increasingly thinking and creating within the parameters of electronic programs that were created to meet specific commercial demands. The Internet changed forever the way we perceive the interconnectivity of our cultures, but the commercially orientated technologies that facilitate its navigation and define its course, also bias the way we think, perceive and assimilate knowledge. The role of international cultural practitioners should be to subvert these structures and devices in such a manner as to expose and illuminate their dynamics and effect.
If we are to consider the Internet as a contact zone of international cultures then we must also examine the intricate operation of post-colonialist and neo-imperialist values as projected through Western consumerism and therefore through the inherent mechanisms of the Internet.«
In the first contribution to the discussion, Manfred Brönner stated: »Unfortunately it is futile to lament about the development which uses and incorporates the arts in its strive for business.« Yu Yeon Kim assumed that this sentence was in reference to her statement, and answered: »My point was how relationships and language have already to an extent been predefined in digital discourse by the nature of its commercially orientated structure and tools as well as the market place, which fuels its technological development. To work critically and creatively within or in relationship to such an environment requires recognition of these aspects of it, at least.«
Market / consumer behavior
The question posed at the beginning of the forum as to if the Internet contributes to the change of established value systems was answered by Coco Fusco rather negatively: »The majority of the opportunities for interaction on the net and the ways of organizing users into groups correspond to the imperatives of the marketplace - which is to say that engagement usually takes the form of consumption and that people are addressed as members of a 'market' joined by like interests and consumer tastes. This would hardly suggest a radical revision of established values, since it is precisely the goal of pancapitalism to commodify leisure activity and to transfer the energies once invested in political engagement to consumerism.«
Marketing and cultural diversity
Especially in the last three weeks, the discussion about the influence of the globally-acting power of the market on culture and cultural terms of value became more intense. (more on this, see Globalization/global culture)
After Pedro Meyer wrote that, »globalized culture is as possible as having all the females and the males in the world think alike «, Sam agreed with him in principal, added however: »... but what concerns me is the way the marketing forces (not market forces) are so effective in their campaigns throughout the world ...« He polemically concluded: »And Cultural Diversity needs to be discussed further - or is it Consumer Diversity that needs to be discussed further?«
With this came the starting shot for a debate about advertising strategies. Pedro Meyer doesn't believe that they lead to a homogenization of cultures: »Each campaign has to be adjusted to the idiosyncrasy of each culture, age group, gender, etc. etc..« Even with regard to the manufacturing of products, it is not true that we are on our way to an era of »one size fits all«. The business world is not at all interested in »cover[ing] the planet with the same values all over.« If the Internet is used so intensely for advertising, »it will allow for the individualization of consumption to degrees never dreamed of before. And that cannot happen if the cultural values are not being catered to at the same time.«
Sam's following proposal was not further discussed: »For the marginalised content producers ... we'd have to develop a segmented advertising strategy - if we were to somehow compete with mass entertainment content...«
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Globalization / global culture  |
Project direction: Gerhard Haupt - haupt@uinic.de
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