Culture Jamming a Commodity?

If you have been reading this I hope you can get a feel of what culture jammings purpose is. The reason for culture jamming is to state things that society normally does not see due to the way the media has shaped our opinions. It is a revolt against the norm in society.
With culture jamming on the Internet being a recent increasing movement, there have been many culture jamming sites that have received a lot of recognition for their non-mainstream opinions. Therefore, a lot of culture jamming websites have been using their recognition to make money. There are even culture jamming merchandise websites that specifically are there to sell culture jamming goods. Does this mean these jammers are going against their original feelings and becoming commodities? Are they becoming what they are fighting?

For example: Adbuster's claim they are divergent and with their Buy Nothing Day they clearly are not for consumerism, yet they have merchandise to buy on their website with their brand on it called Blackspot. Yes, it is not a mainstream brand but it still is a brand. Why would they want to become a commodity, when that is what they are against? Personally, I do not know the answer.

Jon Stewart, is claimed to be a culture jammer. Yet, he makes money of off DVD's and clothing from his show (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart). Does that go against the main idea of being a culture jammer? Or is it okay because he is specifically a political culture jammer? Do culture jammers who mock different forms of mainstream media have different views or duties to follow and to live by?

On Redbubble.com, a website that sells merchandise, sells culture jamming clothing. Is it okay to pay to make a statment? Does that make culture jamming a brand by wearing shirts that other people make? Is the point of culture jamming in order to be a divergent voice it has to be free?
I believe it is still a divergent voice but I do not think the purpose of culture jamming is to make money off of it or to make statements. If anything, if you want to have merchandise with a divergent voice and culture jam you should make your own like stealthissweater.com

Stealthissweater.com was created in 2007 by a women named Lisa Anne Auerbach. Lisa Anne knits clothing (scarfs, sweaters, hats, gloves..etc) that make political statements. She wears them and walks around in them and sees peoples reactions. She also shows people how they can make what she made (which is a perfect example of spreading the alternative message). This is by far a divergent form of culture jamming because most people wear popular brands (including myself), therefore breaking away from that is a big deal in itself. I feel clothing is a great way to make a statement, why not make a political jam in the process?

To get back to my question: Is culture jamming a commodity? The answer is I do not know. I guess it can be. I do not necessarily think that is the main goal of a culture jammer but if it happens in the process when why not? I think it is okay unless, the jammer states in their jams that they are against corporations, big media conglomerates, and the mainstream. But again I really do not know? What do you think?

Interacting Public Spaces Model

As I was doing the research for my paper on Culture Jamming for Convergent Media and Divergent Voices with Professor Proctor, I cam across a model that was very representative of the media today. The model is called Interacting public spaces. This model basically expressed culture jammers and small corporations (the individual) vs. the mainstream media and corporations( the state and the economy).



The extreme left of the model portrays the anti-corporations, the anti-centralized view, and the anti-common forms (Ant-Sphericules: going against the corporate identities). Next to that we have the people who are not controlled by anyone or entities (the government, the media, corporations). They are the Autonomous Sphericules (which means not controlled by outside forces). They think for themselves.As we move towards the right of the model we see the Counter Sphericules. The Counter Sphericules are the ones who are opposite of the corporations. They try desperately to not conform towards the mainstream view but yet they cannot help it. Lastly, to the far right, is the Democratic Public Sphere (which is the location of the mainstream media). In this area we also have the state and the economy.

In my opinion, the corporations have the upper hand and they want to keep as much power in their hands as much as they can. People cannot help but to gravitate towards, we are led to believe that consumerism is the right way to go. How pitiful is that? But we all do it. The culture jammers job is to detract attention away from the mainstream and the state and the economy. They have very different extremist views.
I feel that more and more every day there is more and more of an attention away from the mainstream with the internet and more and more culture jammers.