Creative Rhetorics

Benaji wrote that there were nine rhetorics of creativity

1) Creative Genius

2) Democrativ and Political Creativity 

3) Ubiquitons Creativity

4) Creativity for social good

5) Creativity as economic imperative

6) Play and Creativity

7) Creativity and Cognition

8) The Creative Affordances of Technology

9) The Creative Classroom

Advertising has evolved with society, and now applies itself to several mediums, online being one of them. User-generated content has become the norm with the increase of interest in social media sites. Due to advances in technology, we are now able to communicate with each other instantly and effectively. This does not just apply to social media, it even occurs in the workplace with email and the new possibilities of working at home with media such as Skype. This gives businesses the opportunity to work with people that they may not have necessarily worked with if this technology wasn't there. The rise in social networking and social media campaigns mean that creatives have to consider a constant interaction with the viewer as they can receive instant responses through Twitter and Facebook.
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Cybernetics

The cybernetic model of advertising involves an interactive element that offers a direct exchange with its audience; the advertisement encourages the audience to take part in some aspect of the campaign, this interaction can even be recorded and included in the brand's wider campaign. This form of advertising is something more than the traditional 'transmission' model whereby a message is simply delivered to an audience. The rise in developments of the cybernetic model in advertising has created more links to brands on the internet and in social networking; by giving this alternative platform, they are raising the amount their advertising will be encountered, and making it easier to connect and interact with their audience.

An example of this form of advertising can be seen in Old Spice's 'Smell like a man, man' campaign; after the initial release of the TV advert, which sparked awareness and interest in the campaign. As part of their response, the brand launched an interactive digital campaign that involved the actor responding to Twitter posts and Tweeting as the character in response to his fans and followers. The audience then feel better connected with their audience and thus better connected with the brand.

Panopticism

The panopticon was designed in 1791 by Jeremy Bentham. Bentham suggested this structure could be used for all sorts of disciplining institutions; prisons, hospitals, work houses, schools, mad houses. The building is set out with the panopticon in the centre, which was a tall tower, surrounded by an annular building. The latter consisted of cells, one for each inmate, the cells would have windows so that the inmate was always visible from the tower. The supervisor would be in the tower, but due to the blacked out windows, and its distance from the outer wall, the inmates in their cells could never be certain that they were under observation from the tower at any particular moment. Each inmate could not be sure that their actions would not go unseen and so they would have to behave 'properly' all the time; which would in turn make them discipline themselves..Panopticism is a theory of institutional power. In places such as offices and schools, people can  assess characters and conclude rigorous classifications by observing them in their natural environment through the form of the panopticon. In each of it's applications, Panopticism can strengthen power because it can reduce the umber of those who exercise it, whilst at the same time increasing the number of those on whom it is exercised.

Desire

Sigmund Freud is one of the most well known theorists for psychotherapy. He developed extensive theories about the psyche and human sexuality. His theory relies on several fundamental concepts; the structure of the human psyche is comprised of the unconscious, preconscious and conscious zones. There are two primitive drives, the libido (eros) and the death instinct (thanatos)

According to Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality, it is composed of three elements; the id, the ego and the super ego. These elements work together to create complex human behaviours. The id is a part of the personality that is present from birth; it is entirely unconscious and includes the instinctive and primitive behaviours. It is driven by the pleasure principle; which strives for the immediate gratification of all desires, wants and needs. The ego is responsible for dealing with reality; the ego controls the id and ensure that impulses from the id are controlled, and conform to societal values.The ego controls the conscious, pre conscious and unconscious mind.The super ego is the final component of personality, and it holds all of our internalised moral standards and ideals that we acquire from parents and society. It is our sense of right and wrong.

The theory of desire was established by Freud within his case study of 'Little Hans'; a 5-year old boy with a phobia of horses, particularly being bitten by one. This fear stemmed from the oedipus complex - his oedipal desire and subsequent castration anxieties where sustained unconsciously and manifested as a fear of horses.The recovery of the fear came through a stage of development, within Hans' fantasies, where his castration anxieties were overcome.

Desire has also been studied by Lacan, who describes the unconscious as a language. "Desire is neither the appetite for satisfaction, nor the demand for love, but the difference that results from the subtraction of the frist from the second" In this, Lacan establishes the difference between needs and desires; needs can be satisfied, but desires cannot. His theory 'Desire is the desire of the Other' refers to our position as desiring subjects, the "Other" refers to the symbolic order; socialisation, language and culture. Desire comes from the outside, a desire is therefore established by recognition of the "Other". It is then conclusive that identification of the self makes the self desirable, and the self have the ability to be desired. Identification begins by establishing the narcissistic self, the mirror stage, is where the child identifies themselves as an other for the first time. The further identification with a parental figure enables them to overcome the Oedipus complex; this allows them to formulate the conception of their gender, with the parent being the archetype of this.

Advertising uses this theory in order to make a product desirable to their audience. The mirroring of the model to the audience depicts the persona you can adapt to by having or using the product. This creates a need for the product, but then also a desire to become the person that is portray - or adapt to this identity when using the product. Advertising has directed more towards what the consumer could gain from possessing the product, rather than referring to the product themselves. Advertisers tried to sell their product by stimulating unconscious triggers.

The Gaze and Identity

Identity is composed of the forms; the pre-modern identity, the modern identity and the post modern identity. The pre-modern identity assumes that the personal identity is stable; it is defined by long standing roles and institutions ie marriage status, your Church,government. This is a 'secure identity. The modern identity is where society offers a wider range of roles; where you are able to 'choose' your identity, rather than just being born into it - people begin to question who they are, and what their identity really is. Examples of the modern identity began to form in the 19th and early 20th century, which introduced the concept of the 'flaneur' (gentleman stroller). Baudelaire depicts the expensive clothing, which indicates that the gentleman does not work, which shows that roles can be adapted from material and cosmetic change. The trickle down theory then forms from this as this fashion causes aspiration within the lower classes, which then causes for replicas and remakes; them trying to mirror this identity and social status.  The final identity is the post-modern; it accept a 'fragmented self', where identity is constructed. George Simmel writes about the 'separation of the subjective from objective life' in relation to the final identity, this is conclusive of how individual withdraw into themselves due to the speed and mutability of modernity. This identity is also relative to discourse analysis as identity is constructed of the discourses culturally available to us. Discourse can be things such as age, class, gender, race etc. 

Following the concept identity, we begin to look post-modern theory, and how our identity is constructed through our social experience. Bauman believes that '"identity" is revealed to us only as something to be invented rather than discovered, as a target of an effort, "and objective"'. Even the aspect of being wanted becomes a part of our identity, Hargreaves talks about how introspection is a disappearing act; more people are turning towards social media in order to fulfil their sense of belonging, or having someone want/need them. Goffman suggests the self is a series of façades; we 

can create a desired construct of ourselves that can be viewed on many different platforms. This control of how you may 'create' your identity in order to become desirable to yourself and others makes the identity more flexible - social platforms allow you to do this, as they create a physical barrier- a mask - that shields others from your identity. This idea of 'liquid love' is only an illusion within these virtual 'communities' - as the true identity is never revealed, it is only what the individual wants to reveal, what identity they want to portray. They control it. 

The Gaze

 The Gaze looks at how an audience views the people presented; how men look at women, how women look at themselves and also how women look at other women.According to Mulvey, the gaze is a construct where film and literature are dominated by a male's point of view. Her belief of a patriarchy supposes that men have 'active' roles and women have 'passive' roles, In film, audiences have to 'view' character from the perspective of the heterosexual male. So, in films, women were depicted with lack of control - the bearers of meaning - and presented with regards to the male's reaction to the events. This filmography reduces women to the status of objects, ie having the camera linger on the curves of the female. The female gaze is secondary.

This is evident in advertising, the sexualisation of the female body, even though it is irrelevant to what is being sold, for example, perfume adverts make the subject of the gaze desired. The gaze can also be directed towards the same gender; extending from the product example, women are able to compare body image or clothing - the gaze is not always sexual.

Advertising sells the object of the gaze as well as the product. The message is always thought to be the same; buy the product, get the girl or if you are a female, you buy the product to be like the girl, and then you can get your man. This aspect of the male gaze proposes women as a commoditity that is there for commercial gain. It also creates the mirror effect, where women view themselves as the model - the desirable - and the purchasing of the product is the only way to become more like the model.

"To gaze implies more than to look at - it signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze"- Jonathan Schroeder (1998)

This advertisement is for a men's cologne. The bottle is not placed on the print advert, only the name and brand. The image is of a nude woman that the advertisers want to imply what you would create or 'receive' if you wore the cologne. The woman looks passive, more doting; her eyes follow you and so you are then posed as the object of her desire - something that may be considered mutual, which creates the idea of control, how the male may assert himself and have dominance. It follows the construct of a patriarchal society.

American Apparel are known for their risky advertisement, that push the boundaries of what is deemed acceptable. The woman looks as if she is lying on a bed, with her legs spread. The angle makes it so you are looking down at her, as if you were on top. This position is suggestive and holds sexual connotations to the text "Now Open". Her expression does not allude anything. It is more passive, and along with her position poses herself as submissive to the viewer. The male is almost encouraged to peruse subject, as the contrast of the female body against the white of the sheets make the female stand out.

Jesse Schell: When Games invade Real Life

In this talk, Schell shows us as an audience how games are beginning to invade the real world, and starting to create an affect on society. Gaming is composed of psychological tricks, that ensure the player that they are doing the right thing by investing into the game in order to better their status or character within it. And this, in turn, has an impact on how we view ourselves, and how we are viewed by others. Games are becoming more an more interactive, and closing the gap between what is virtual and what is real, for example in Guitar Hero, you have a real guitar, and you play real song, The games lure you in and then cause you to spend money by convincing you it is a worthwhile decision. From a psychological perspective, the game is worthwhile because you are spending time on it, and when you invest money into it, the game becomes valuable, and thus the element of reality is linked to engagement, because the more time you spend on the game, the more the game becomes a part of your life. What Schell is saying here, is that a lot of these games that are successful in gaining worth, have psychological locks and keys, which make the players want to engage and invest time in it. Facebook itself offers itself as a game play sharing platform, wherein you can play games, unlock achievements and share your progress with your friend, it then makes the game more realative to the person playing as your progress is then measured publicly. Even in games like, Mafia Wars, you are able to compete against your friends, which incorporates the real, because its people you know, And the game encourages you to pay to improve aspects of your character, which will boost the ego of the player internally as this is within a friendship group; thus built around our personal and social construct. Essentially implications of future society correlates with reality gaming.

The link goes even deeper than just gaming, it is beginning to invade what we watch; reality TV, where the viewer can really connect, or even the interactive parts of Television, where the viewer can vote or play along - it gives a new aspect, something more than just watching. The same is in food; organic food, or food described as 'real' - we thrive for things that enhance our grip on reality and on our own social status. He refers to Authenticity by Gilmore and Pine and they talk about how society has slowly been cut off from nature, and this change of demand derives from this. So the viewer now has a demand for something real -something genuine-, rather than something that helps them 'escape reality'. And we are using technology to do this.

Aspects of our daily routine are already part of a points system, and this system changes how we are, and how we perceive ourselves. For example, Weight Watchers uses a points system, you can only have so many points and this is how you lose the weight, it changes depending on the weight you are but in turn, it is a form of social engineering; if we feel good from this, we will invest more time in it.The same with Ford's dashboard plant - that gives a virtual and interactive way for you to be proactive about being green, and driving differently. As the plant grows, we perceive ourselves as better drivers.

As technology diverges, and branches out further, to reach more product and invade more aspects of reality, products will become cheaper and more accessible. Our daily routine will become a points system that monitors and sets a score for who we are. Everything we do, say, eat see etc. will be recorded, and this will leave a legacy, and idea of who we were. And it  leaves us to question whether it would make us adapt and change ourselves, or what we did in order to leave the 'right' legacy.

Jean Baudrillard: Absolute Ground Zero Advertising

Baudrillard believes that advertising is superficial as it has no depth and is a triumph of lost or misinformation. It is of Baudrillard’s opinion that today we experience the amalgamation of all virtual modes of expression into that of advertising. He claims, “all original cultural forms, all determined languages are absorbed in advertising because it has no depth, it is instantaneous and instantly forgotten.” He also states Semiology is useless when it comes to analysing advertising as a language, “…because something else is happening there: a doubling of language (and also of images), to which neither linguistics nor semiology correspond, because they function on the veritable operation of meaning, without the slightest suspicion of this caricatural exorbitance of all the functions of language…”. The public therefore take form as the bewildered audience of advertising as it is everywhere. It has imposed itself on society and thrives off the expense of everything. He believes that advertising no longer excites as a form of communication, and the rise of cybernetic and digital communication does more to simplify the communication. The increase of computer science language is rendering advertising useless and thus the thrill of advertising has been displaced onto computers and onto the miniaturisation of everyday life by computer science. Baudrillard is even so bold to state that advertising is no longer a form of communication at all, it has been lost and now it lies between society in all its forms. The message of commodity is now more of a reflection or mockery of modern day society and culture – “I buy, I consume, I take pleasure”. The absolute cover over society by advertising is derived from the saturation of information, leading to confusion and eventually emission of any meaning.

Jean Baudrillard: The Implosion of Meaning in the Media

This text proposes three hypotheses upon why meaning is being lost with the rapid increase of information. The first states that it is impossible to successfully reinject message and content into information, and meaning is lost quicker than it can be injected. The second hypothesis suggests that information operates outside of meaning, and, according to Shannon’s hypothesis, information that is functional is purely technical and therefore it does not imply meaning. The final states that information is detrimental to meaning and due to this information directly destroys meaning and signification. The is the most controversial of the three hypotheses as it opposes common opinions, this is because at present, socialisation and development are measured by exposure to the media. However, this can be seen as positive in its binary opposite, as the underexposure to the media would have a negative connotation of desocialisation. Baudrillard argues against the belief that information creates communication, as he states that there is a huge loss of meaning, he likens the belief to the commonly accepted myth that material production produces and excess of wealth regardless of its drawbacks and dysfunctions. Baudrillard claims that our belief that information produces meaning will be our downfall as the opposite is the reality, in this, he is stating that information does not produce, but instead destroys meaning. Two reasons are offered as to why information destroys its own content. The first states that it stages meaning, exhausting itself in doing so, rather than producing it, it stimulates. This information is what Baudrillard refers to as ‘phantom content’ and is part of a circular process of stimulation which results in the hyperreal. The second reason attributes the cannibalisation of content to the staging of content from the mass media, for example, because information dissolves meaning. The mass media therefore produces the ‘implosion of the social masses’ because they are dissolving meaning and the value of the sign. Meaning lies within the relationship between signs, if the signs themselves are losing value then so are the relationships and meaning between them, thus information is dissolving meaning.