Do you have the right to communicate?

This was the question posed to us in our first class on the "Political Economy of Communication". The quick answer would be : "Yes, we have a right to communicate! We live in a democratic society. We talk to our friends about the things we don't like or like, how terrible the world is...and...we vote. That's communication, right? We have freedom of speech and gathering...freedom of religion...so yes, we have a right to communicate!"

I realize as this semester unfolds how complicated that question is. And problematic too.
The privatization of our public sphere, our community, is a serious and important issue. I know that often, when I'm trying to express this, it's really hard to understand because I'm using such complicated terms...no doubt...that's my inner pundit coming through. What I'd like to try here is to convey as clearly as possible the importance of this issue. Of our voice. Our say.

Let me begin with this.
What are the majority of the pictures you see around you? When you're on your way to work or to school, hanging out with your friends, or simply walking around?
Advertising pervades everything that we see and own...walls, billboards, buses, the Skytrain, taxicabs, storefronts, and often even in schools. It is the visual language of our time and the heart of television as as medium: corporations pay billions just to get access to your eyes.
It is inescapable. And so...don't you think it would be good to give more thought to what we're seeing? Are ads a reflection of reality? How are people like us being represented in them? If these images are all around us...dictate what we know to be "reality"...then shouldn't these representations matter?

I'm here to say that they do matter. And more so than ever, I encourage you to look at what's around you more carefully. Why do we buy what we buy? What makes the item so attractive? What do YOU hope to gain from buying it?

Do you think it will enable you to be more attractive...to perhaps help you find the right guy/girl? Do you think that an object can make you feel important, valued, and trusted? That by having it, you are somehow elevated on the food chain?

Which comes to the question:
What does love, success, a "good life" have ANYTHING to do with objects?

The answer is...they don't.

We live in the era of the superbrand, the selling of a lifestyle rather than a product. That's what's attractive and tempting...the consumption of an experience. A Starbucks latte isn't just espresso and steamed milk; it is a social status. The Nike shoe isn't just a shoe: it is a symbol of acceptance and "coolness".

Why do we let objects dictate who we are and who we are not?

"I'm looking for a bridge I can't burn down...I don't believe the emptiness, I'm looking for the kingdom coming down. Everything is meaningless, I want more than simple cash can buy..."

Have a voice. Be critical of what you see.