Abstract
Anderson explores the role of alternative media in igniting the radical imagination and fuelling political protest. More specifically, the chapter examines how Adbusters, the Canadian magazine of alternative culture, inspired the initial occupation of Wall Street and why, when they attempted four years later to recreate this past success, they failed to catalyse a similar movement. In doing so, it shows the limits of a mediated and individualised manner of protest. Thus, while alternative media have indeed provided important sites for critical thought and expression, and have been successful in extending local struggles to broader, even global contexts, the true agent of social change remains the social movement and its creative actions “on the ground.”
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Notes
- 1.
See the Adbusters publication Meme wars: The creative destruction of Neoclassical Economics for an accessible yet nuanced interpretation of the neoliberal condition (Lasn 2012).
- 2.
As a devoted follower of Adbusters on both Twitter and Facebook, I welcomed this idea hoping that this time the movement might transcend some of the challenges of Occupy and catch on to an even greater degree.
- 3.
Success in this context refers to the Occupy movement’s ability to mobilise an impressive and diverse number of activists under a single banner.
- 4.
It’s worth noting that this surge corresponds with new levels of regressive media production and consumption.
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Anderson, B. (2018). Opportunity in Crisis: Alternative Media and Subaltern Resistance. In: Geelan, T., González Hernando, M., Walsh, P. (eds) From Financial Crisis to Social Change. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70600-9_7
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