With a rebel sell, she cried “MORE, MORE, MORE!”

A discussion of “The Rebel Sell” video with Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter and Trebor Scholz’s article "Market Ideology and the Myths of Web 2.0".

In consumer capitalism, there is no escape from the outstretched hand of the minimum-wage-earning employee behind the retail counter. Even when an individual feels that he or she is a part of an anti-conformist rebellion against the system, the system reaps the benefits of this said “rebellion”. To a consumer society, rebellion equals profit just as much as conformity does.  Rebellion is trendy. Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter explain this relationship in their video “The Rebel Sell”. I have put together my own video illustrating this relationship even further.

Music: "Curiouser and Curiouser" by Nick Johnston

Essentially, the issue at hand here is similar to how the concept of Web 2.0 is being marketed. In the same way that advertisers sell products because they are trendy, there is an obvious novelty factor within the selling of Web 2.0. In his article, "Market Ideology and the Myths of Web 2.0”, Trebor Scholz makes note that there is even “novelty suggested by the phrase.”

Scholz identifies that many of the new ideas behind Web 2.0 have nothing new about them. In fact, the only idea that Scholz gives 2.0 credit for is the “podcasting phenomenon and the term folksonomy, which became popular in 2004.” Other than that, he relates Wikis back to origins in 1994, user-submitted content back to Amazon.com’s launch in 1995, and in the same year, social networking sites like Classmates.com and SixDegrees.com had their start.

In 2004, by lumping these past advancements together and packaging them as something brand new, Tim O'Reilly took on the role of a trend-setter: similar to that of a fashion expert taking the DIY concept of the punk rebellion and turning it mainstream. For example, take a look at how trendy Billy Idol's look has become. At one time, to some people, his brand of music and style would have been considered rebellious and countercultural. I would not be surprised if Billy Idol's vest in the "Rebel Yell" video was featured on the high-fashion runway.

Web 2.0 is a consumer brand. Currently, the novelty and glamour of its selling point is hot on the market. Corporations like Apple have created trends that are shaping the way we view technology and competition in the market. With its sleek appearance and user-friendly applications, Apple is considered to be far "cooler" than  any PC brands. However, based on the cycle outlined in the video I made, there should only be a matter of time before some changes in the distinction. 

Though users may not realize it, all of their activity on the Web is valuable to the media corporations involved. Once this moneymaking phenomena is realized by a large number of Web-savvy rebels, the trend cycle will ensue, providing more options for the consumers and more profit for the producers. In consumer-capitalism, it is all about obtaining more, more, more.