P to the oster.
When we think about „media“, usually things like news-papers, online news portals or Tagesschau come to our minds. Recently, I was thinking about what kind of influence one of the most fundamental and widespread form of the media, still has on us: Posters. In the streets, on the bus, near the motorway — actually we’re surrounded by hundreds of messages every day. A whole lot of them are ads, for sure, but there are also many forms of political expressions, as well.
A few days ago, the German health ministry has started a campaign to basically remind people, and especially young people, to use a condom. About 65.000 posters shall be put up throughout the country. For my own part, I’m always happy to see a little bit of advertisement-space saved up for some useful and helpful content. For a campaign that is not about gaining money (at least not directly), but just to spread information that is important for most of us.
For some others, it is just another occasion to raise a complaint. A member of the „Junge Alternative für Deutschland“, the youth organisation of the right-wing party AfD, is now bringing a charge against the ministry, because the posters promoted an „early-sexualised, multi-sexual society of diversity“. His main reason probably is the fact that they are depicting a homosexual couple in some of their posters, as well. Apart from showing us the narrow-minded and antiquated thinking of the AfD once again, it also makes clear what potential this kind of media can have, if it is used the right way. However, the AfD is known for their propensity to exaggerate, and therefore it should be clear that some posters are not enough to finally turn society into an open-minded „society of diversity“ — unfortunately.
Another interesting way to make good use of all kinds of posters is an organised manipulation of them, the so-called „ad-busting“. Artist collectives are secretly smuggling their messages into existing ad-posters or replacing them as a whole — often these street activists support certain political and anti-commercial views. As a consequence, they illegally use exactly the space which is meant for commercial purposes and turn it into a critical statement.
This truely creative and ironic use of media is what shows us its actual power. Being present in all places and attracting attention, like posters normally do — that’s what it’s all about.
ps: Sorry for the lame title.
