Sorry beforehand for the intrusive politics, but it’s kind of unavoidable for me in this case.
This is almost a textbook example of the Marxist concept of alienation. Once a brand takes over a meme, people are alienated from
the meme itself - because nobody wants to sound like an ad board
from the creative process behind the meme - because creating a new meme gets that sour taste in the mouth, as you feel that corporations might hijack it
from human nature and themselves - because memes are a form of self-expression
from each other - because memes are intrinsically social and it’s yet another social link being removed by the corporation hijacking the meme
I’d say the outcome is alienation; the process as the comic demonstrates it is a kind of recuperation, the process through which ideas (especially subversive or dangerous ones) are neutered and commodified.
The fact that the word “alienation” already existed doesn’t mean Marx didn’t have a specific theory about alienation in specific contexts that ended being pretty influential for philosophy. Like, holy shit, Marx’s theory of alienation isn’t obscure. Do a minimum of research before spouting ignorant bullshit.
Sorry beforehand for the intrusive politics, but it’s kind of unavoidable for me in this case.
This is almost a textbook example of the Marxist concept of alienation. Once a brand takes over a meme, people are alienated from
I’d say the outcome is alienation; the process as the comic demonstrates it is a kind of recuperation, the process through which ideas (especially subversive or dangerous ones) are neutered and commodified.
You…think Marx invented the concept of alienation?
The fact that the word “alienation” already existed doesn’t mean Marx didn’t have a specific theory about alienation in specific contexts that ended being pretty influential for philosophy. Like, holy shit, Marx’s theory of alienation isn’t obscure. Do a minimum of research before spouting ignorant bullshit.
Yes! He also invented airplanes, internet shitposting, Santa Klaus, and Brezeln.
I’m joking of course. No, he didn’t invent the concept, he took it from Hegel. However that specific usage of the concept is the one from Marxism.