Art in the modern age — especially online — has faced many unexpected challenges.
These challenges were mostly predicted, but not directly. Andy Warhol’s interest in commercialization and the art of advertising led to discussions about the role of ads in art and how they interact. The conclusion seemed to be that the two were at odds with each other, for reasons to be discussed later on in the article. The rise of the internet and internet art amplified the problems between the two as ads began to interrupt and circle everything, including small artists who now had a platform on the internet. But how does this relationship operate, and more importantly, how does it affect you?
The prevalence of ads in modern life is undeniable. So what makes a good ad? One that is catchy, persuasive, or sticks in the mind? These are all things that companies look at when creating ad campaigns. Something that has seemed both negative and positive to companies is how insanely annoying some of these ads are. Have you ever seen the teeth whitening strip ad where the person with the incredibly white teeth does the ‘tissue test,’ only to find that their teeth are simply not white enough? Or maybe you have seen one of the countless grammar checker ads, boasting some new AI capability that will write all your emails and essays for you, making you a truly successful human in the world. Both ads create needs in the audience that are not really needed at all.
Propaganda is a word that is thrown around, as are many buzzwords associated around politics these days. The first thing you might think of when propaganda is mentioned is probably wartime propaganda — images of soldiers going off to war in glory or horrific caricatures of a supposed enemy. These images are meant to ‘sell’ an ideology to the viewer, much like a product is sold through advertising. Propaganda and advertising are very similar, with the most notable similarity being that propaganda creates a world where the object or ideology is needed.
One of the most interesting things about propaganda is its ability to operate with a level of covertness. Think about a Nazi propaganda piece from World War II where Germans are posed as the ultimate race, above all others. Now it seems obvious to us that this is false, but if you were a German in the 1940s, this idea would have been implemented in your life so heavily that a poster depicting such a thing would seem completely ordinary. This is the same kind of world an ad tries to put you in, a world where the object is entirely necessary to function. A good campaign will create situations that occur often and are solved only through the use of the product presented.
The direct opposite to propaganda can be seen as art. Pieces made in the historical context of political and social environments will reflect those environments, especially for the typically socially engaged artist. These two clash during times of social strife, often with the propaganda providing a view of an idealized society with the worldview presented, and with the art presenting often the individual realities of the people affected by the worldview.
A great example of this comes from the Clinton administration’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which attempted to re-assess the U.S.’s previous ban on “homosexuals” in the military. This policy aimed to create a military that recognized that there were “homosexuals” in the military, but that if they were caught being “homosexuals,” or happened to mention as much, they would be kicked out.
This much is laid out in the short comic Dignity & Respect: a training guide on homosexual policy, a propaganda comic made to explain to military personnel the changes that the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy brings. The comic imagines scenarios where it would be appropriate to discharge officers on the basis of their sexuality. The cover is, oddly enough, a very diverse array of soldiers, possibly because the law was made with the intention of being inclusive. These people are false, and were created only for the purpose of making a world where this law is the most rational one. Compare this to an independent documentary called The Strange History of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which delves into the real people that this law affected. The documentary attempts to contend with the world as it is, not as it desires it to be.
The division between propaganda and art has mostly been clear-cut, but how about in the realm of advertising and art? With the propaganda-like qualities of ads, it can be expected that artists do not often appreciate them in their sly suggestions and social amorality, but the flip side of advertising is that many artists need some form of it to promote their work. There is a strange relationship formed in this need for a platform.
It seems that Apple has dumped all their money into advertising for the second season of Severance, a show that deals primarily with how the modern office affects the worker and what could happen if that relationship is not discussed.
You may have seen the large amounts of ads detailing this show, starring Adam Scott, set in a bizarre dystopian office. Personally, I have received countless amounts of these ads, providing brief segments of the show and its bizarre visual style. To many, the ad campaign has completely taken over, even in real life. At Grand Central Station in New York, there was a glass box branded with the show’s title and second season release date. It contained the actors working on the show, who performed throughout the day.
So what is the point of all this advertising? Is Severance incredible and worth all this clamor? Well, that isn’t exactly the point (though I personally quite enjoy it). The point is that you have probably seen or heard about it more in the last few months leading up to its season release, but why? Why do ads stick in our minds and what is their larger implication on the world, especially the art world?
Severance’s very existence is paradoxical: a show criticizing the modern ideas of working and having your company as some kind of family or religion, hosted and advertised by Apple, on their streaming service. Apple is not exactly the pinnacle of a healthy workplace, with workers at an iPhone assembly factory falling asleep while working with heavy machinery due to the long hours, not to mention the awful wages.
The intense advertising and talk around the show tend not to mention this barrier, even giving Apple CEO, Tim Cook, his very own feature in the Severance world. Advertising frequently attempts to be as tone-deaf as possible in order to appeal to the greatest number of consumers. Companies often remain as politically sterile as possible in order to not cut ties with any possible consumers. So where does that leave advertising?
We all have ideas about what ads are, and in modern times, they are entirely unavoidable, even with paid streaming services having ads (Apple’s streaming service being an example). With most activities happening online, services are quick to plaster ads all over websites and videos, even sometimes in pop-ups. Everything is facilitated by thousands of advertising agencies, all counting the cutely-named ‘cookies’ you leave everywhere you go.
There is a theory floating around regarding the content held within the layers of these ads, called the ‘dead internet’ theory. The theory follows that most content and interactions formed on the internet are actually fake. Instead, they are the product of ‘bots,’ a broad term that describes a set of code designed to perform a repetitive task, which could be replying to comments or posting random images and videos. With the advent of AI images, often even the images themselves are fake. The idea that most of the content on the internet wasn’t drafted by human hands is one that has been accepted by many, despite being a rather niche conspiracy. This theory would explain the repetitiveness of modern internet trends. The question is, why would people move towards this instead of just abandoning the internet all together? The answer comes in advertising.
Artists on the internet often have a hard time balancing having their work stand for itself and having ads help to get traffic. Hosting your own website may seem like the counter to this, but the decision to host ads is one that is very lucrative, even if the ads go directly against what you want your art to say. So most artists are forced to make a decision.
Ultimately, these ads take up more of our time than we probably wish, but they also have effects on us that we might not even consciously notice. Advertising has a subconscious effect on your mind. The same applies for the worldview advertising creates. Another kind of advertising that does this is propaganda. This is because being steeped in the worldview that propaganda presents makes anything that feeds that worldview background noise that silently feeds what you believe. To try and ignore the videos you see every single day is to allow them to become a part of your subconscious.
I am not saying you should watch and analyze every single ad that happens upon your way, I am saying just to be aware of what you see. Note the ads that appear to you and note how they make you feel. There is a lot to be said about the passing of time and how most of it is spent doing things you would rather not be doing. Instead of just letting this time go as a necessary loss, find ways to make it useful to you. Every experience is different and it all has an effect on the way you are. Do not let any of it, even the annoying ads for a show you may never watch, pass you by.
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