snarks on a plane

[substitute]

Five years of a blog that runs about 70% snark and grump, maybe more. I complain too much on the Internet, and it's bad for my writing. Occasionally I catch myself and write a happy piece about kittens or Chinese dumplings or a really stellar masturbation session. But a gloomy Andy Rooney/James Lileks atmosphere threatens. It's a flaw, and I'm surprised that's not pointed out more.

Most of the time, though, my small and friendly readership either agrees, suggests a different yet sympathetic angle, or clears the buffer and moves on. I don't get a lot of "oh hell no" or "you bastard, you pissed on my dream" reactions.

And then there was that time I dissed the Snakes on a Plane astroturf ad campaign, and found out there are still people who care enough to stand up for Jesus calculated viral marketing!

Comments

Hey, Isn't Anyone Going to Encourage His Self Destruction?

[gutbloom.livejournal.com]

Last time I checked this was America and in America you have a right to complain about anything you want to complain about. That's right. I know it doesn't make you happy and you'd rather not, but that vitriol makes for good blog reading. I dig the snark, man. The more you do the less I have to, and I have the exact same monster lurking beneath my skin.

I feel superior because I read your journal.

The tone is fine. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a copy editor or something.

Re: Hey, Isn't Anyone Going to Encourage His Self Destruction?

[planetdracula.livejournal.com]

it's still unclear how 'calculated viral marketing' is even a hair more offensive or annoying that plain-vanilla marketing - as I say, I find the former actually less annoying: its cards on more or less on the table

I wasn't targeting you in the entry I wrote though dude, your position in re: that movie is itself a viral - how many weeks has the bandwagon-of-backlash been the bloggin' rage? several

Re: Hey, Isn't Anyone Going to Encourage His Self Destruction?

[springheel-jack.livejournal.com]

In a sense you must be right - marketing is marketing and it's all, as they say, about lying to people, fogging their minds and getting them to do things.

Viral marketing, though, is pernicious in a way regular marketing is not: it's astroturf, which is a lie on top of a lie - it seems to come from below, from the grassroots, from "the fans," when it really doesn't - either the grassroots aspect is wholly faked or the studio is simply using the fans as a culture medium for a marketing script that has already been written. I mean, people were under the illusion that they had some sort of effect on the way that narrative played out, that they had some sort of 'ownership' over the movie, but that was just a lie. Then the 'fans' worked on behalf of that lie, unpaid, in the apparent illusion that this was actually a product of the culture, rather than the culture industry. It's rather sad, when you look at it that way.

Of course, the difference between this sort of viral marketing and what we regularly refer to as 'fandom' - for example, my FL is full of people wailing about that Stargate TV show today - is now impossible to pin down. Which sucks for fans, because they're selling their souls to the culture industry for an illusion of participation. I think the erosion of that distinction is the fault of viral marketing, actually - there is no longer any distinction to be made between marketing, fandom, and 'indie cred.' These terms all mean the same thing now. And that's a calamity that was imposed from above.

Re: Hey, Isn't Anyone Going to Encourage His Self Destruction?

[substitute.livejournal.com]

No, my position isn't "a viral" just because some other people agree. "A viral" means the deliberate insertion of a media campaign into Internet communities. What I have is an opinion that is not entirely unique.

I hadn't seen that particular blogwagon go by, since I read either the wrong or the right people depending on your view, but I'm not surprised. I bet a lot of it is reviews of the movie by people who haven't seen it, in the fine internet tradition. That's not my interest.

And I also disagree with your assessment of viral versus traditional marketing. I think the opposite. "Plain vanilla" marketing is crap like "Diet Coke and Trojan Condoms are teaming up to bring you this weekend's premiere of Garfield 2! Visit your nearest 7-11 to get free tickets and sign up for the Trojans Turgid Summer of Fun!" There it is, right in your face: marketing.

Viral marketing is the advertising equivalent of Amway. Your friend posts his totally awesome Snakes on a Plane quiz and you do it too, because you socially identify with your friend, and then your friends do it too, and you're all enjoying the warm bath of shared in-joke... working for someone else.

At this point I have to admit defeat. I clearly blew it getting my point across, because loads of smart nice people heard something other than what I was communicating.