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Pastimes : Laughter is the Best Medicine - Tell us a joke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: STRTYZ who wrote (6182)	7/17/1998 1:15:00 AM
From: High Grader	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 62549

Well I wasn't really looking for it just couldn't believe it. I wonder how long before the internet is carrying the first infidelity from that relationship??

To: STRTYZ who wrote (6182)	7/17/1998 7:56:00 AM
From: Shawn M. Downey	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 62549

CyberWire Dispatch // Copyright (c) July 16, 1998 // All rights reserved Jacking in from the "Reel Them in Like a Trout" Port: A Virgin Hoax By Joey Skaggs Special to CyberWire Dispatch Numerous journalists and individuals have contacted me in the last 24 hours to ask if I am responsible for the live virgin lovefest that's about to take place on the Internet at <http://www.ourfirsttime.com>. I'm not. But here's my take on it: It's a scam. It's an ad. It's porno. Somebody's doing this for money. And it's so obvious that I can't believe the attention the media is giving this story. If I'm wrong, I'll eat my shorts-on the Internet. [Editor's Note: Should this occur, no doubt it would be to great fanfare. But let me save CNN and the New York Times a big embarrassment as they no doubt would be all over this follow-up story. CWD has it on excellent authority-Skaggs himself-that he wears no underwear... as usual he is the consummate prankster.] Even I might have given the media more credit than this. This is a blatant example of advertising and marketing executives taking advantage of the media's vulnerability to yank-the-wanky, more-to-cum stories. And the media is obliging by helping to promote large scale participatory voyeurism. They should know better. They've bought into one of their own tease tactics- "Will they or won't they? Tune in August 4!" Hey guys, let's question the intent of this promotion. It's so obviously transparent. The identities of the two kids are vague and withheld. They look like they are straight from central casting. The site is sophisticated and slick. It's really a sophomoric attempt at culture jamming. And they've got a lawyer spokesperson. (The latter should be enough of a clue right there. Because in my book "lawyer" is synonymous with "liar"). And if that's not enough, they've resorted to planting a controversy within a hoax-one of my tactics-suggesting that "individuals and religious groups" are spamming them, trying to shut them down. This is an attempt to deflect serious questioning of their basic premise. Suddenly the media is reporting these allegations without smelling the rotten fish here. So, what exactly is the media helping them sell? Everybody needs to question the intent of this "news" item. Because essentially what we're getting here is media masturbation. It amuses me to see a hoax used as a form of advertising and marketing. But this is nothing new. Mainstream advertisers have traditionally co-opted new trends and alternative culture, i.e., beatniks, hippies, punks, Gen X'ers... and turned the "alternative" into the mainstream. Their tactic is to clone cultural trappings so they can be perceived as hip and trendy and thereby appeal to a non questioning consumer audience. I call it "faux-radical" advertising. They're using subversive advertising techniques for mainstream advertising on the Internet, attracting mainstream media. Here's a good example-the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe meme. A woman thought she bought the Neiman Marcus chocolate chip cookie recipe for $2.50. When she got her credit card bill, she'd been charged $250. She called to protest but was told there was no mistake and that she could not have a refund because she already had the recipe. To get revenge she posted the recipe on the Internet, making it free and available to the public. This urban legend was widely reported by the press. The reality, as I was told by a high level executive at Neiman Marcus, is that the Neiman Marcus marketing department created this story and posted it on the Internet themselves to generate controversy for the purpose of attracting name recognition [Editor's Note: A Neiman Marcus spokeswoman denied that the company was the genesis of the cookie recipe hoax. Skaggs may be an infamous prankster but he is not a liar. If I were going to throw cash on a bet as to whose story to believe in the great cookie controversy, I'm betting on Skaggs.] Soon I expect to see mainstream advertisers creating their own anti-billboard billboards to advertise their products. But I have confidence that people will see right through to the heart of this advertising ploy. Which doesn't do anything to help the already tarnished image of the media these days. This co-opting of culture jamming techniques just makes the artists/activists job more challenging. But, unfortunately, this doesn't worry me. It seems the media is slow to learn. That's my take on it. Enough said. Stay tuned. =-=-=-=-=-=-= Joey Skaggs, is an artist and media activist. You can check out his work at www.skaggs.com or contact him at skaggs@joeyskaggs.com or via the old fashioned technology called a phone at 212-254-7878