Further Honors Development

So I first posted about my honor’s thesis Here. Right now I want to flesh it out a bit more (I posted this on 10/14, now I’m just bringing it forward in dates).

So I can go into two different avenues with my idea of Democracy 2.0. (A) does political advertising take cues from business marketing  (B) can one manufacture, through marketing, a desire for political values like freedom, Independence and hope… which are two different directions.

Although the idea of rallying up a crowd is not new – and any demagogue knows how to press the buttons of the mob, the idea of creating new buttons through repetitive and subliminal advertising - and then pushing them, is new, and this not something that could have been possible 20 years ago.

Even though presidents did attack each other with ads – they invoked things that were already in the populace (racism(s), isolationism, communist-hatred, the American Dream, worker pride, etc) but had few means to actually create new hatreds or desires. But with the media society that we live in now, where one is exposed to 20,000 commercials a day, this sort of manipulation is much more possible – and it would be interesting to see if politicians who are already using it (like business) and if not, maybe they could for the better of us all.

Sort of how voting and political awarness became hip and fashionable through the latest ad techniques. Is it an issue that we are brainwashing ourselves into being better voters – sure – but we are already doing it for sneakers and SUVs, so why not political participation?

Embodiement Honors Thesis Idea

Idea 1:
Do sexuality and citizenship collide?
Is there a relation between sexuality and consumerism?
Is there a type of technopolitics of sexual consumerism?
What is the relationship between sexuality and technology?
Does one influence the other?
Does our new cybernetic world encourage new sexual interactions?
What is the role of narcissism in consumerism? In politics? In cyberpolitics?
How does narcissism play out online?
Does technology encourage/discourage narcissism? Which pieces of technology?
Is narcissism a new type of political identity?
What is the relationship between narcissism and sexuality?
How does narcissism mediate our online lives?
How does it leak into our “real lives”?

(There is a very cool, but slightly jarring image under this “Keep Reading” label.

Market for Democracy (Honors Project Idea)

The marketing of a new digital democracy.

What would the ad campaign look like?

Can we take examples from the successes of corporations like Nike and others, but also of the current political campaigns, in order to create a need, want and desire for a new democratic system?

Can marketing help us rather than control/manipulate

Can we create a desire for democracy within our own country, like we have a desire for SUV’s?

Can we make liberty as imperative and neccessary as Ipods, laptops and the internet?

Can we make democracy as big as the internet?

Actually, even more importantly…If we do take on a path of open source government…would it end up looking like a democracy? I shouldn’t exchange words like government, democracy, and liberty so easily. They are not interchangeable. Especially considering no two democracies look anything alike. Yet the same can be said for communism and fascism as well.

Really, should the end goal perhaps be not to build a better democracy, but instead work on making a better political government structure? Is focusing so hard on democracy actually keeping us back from achieving better things? Sure, we cannot comprehend anything beyond the zenith of democracy, and perhaps that is our limitation. The belief that we, as Americans (we are afterall, the birthplace of democracy, thank you de Tocqueville) created this amazing thing called democracy, which is the best way to run all governments…Are we being blinded by this? Yes, democracy is our baby. We define ourselves by it.

Maybe it’s time for us to stop swaddling it and let it grow up?

What would a “grown-up” democracy look like?

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new style of self-actualizing citizenship

Do Sexuality and Citizenship Collide?

Questions I’m working on:

• Do sexuality and citizenship collide?
  Is there a relation between sexuality and consumerism?
• Is there a type of technopolitics of sexual consumerism?
• What is the relationship between sexuality and technology?
• Does one influence the other?
• Does our new cybernetic world encourage new sexual interactions?
• What is the role of narcissism in consumerism? In politics? In cyberpolitics?
• How does narcissism play out online?
• Does technology encourage/discourage narcissism? Which pieces of technology?
• Is narcissism a new type of political identity?
• What is the relationship between narcissism and sexuality?
• How does narcissism mediate our online lives?
• How does it leak into our “real lives”?

Comments and criticisms would be appreciated!

Open-Source Honour’s Thesis?

I have added a new “category” to my posts. Most are uncategorized, although they should have been put into “class.” The “honors” category will deal with my thesis, which I am trying to work out. What I would like to try is an experiment. I’d like to post ideas of mine and have you guys comment, tell me what works and what doesn’t. I mean, I’d like to keep track of my thoughts anyway on the blog, and the thesis relates enough to what we’re doing in the class.

So…good idea, bad idea? Would you guys actually comment? Would you be interested in seeing the progress of my honors?

I know that in an article or something Prof. Dean said that blogging is like an open notebook, where people can come in and scribble. I really liked that thought. I’d like to embrace it.

Fun New Vocabulary Word: teledildonics!

The term teledildonics is usually used when referring to the use of computer-mediated software and hardware to facilitate remote sex between two (or more) people. An easier way of thinking about it is using a sex toy where someone else is controlling the toy, and they aren’t in the room. Teledildonics could be considered an extension of cybersex that brings in a tactile interaction between two people.

I guess I ask again: Does face-to-face interaction matter…in sexuality?