Remix Practices and Activism: A Semiotic Analysis of Creative Dissent

Even though remix practices are a very complex phenomenon and their impact on media genres and audiences is undeniable, it is only recently that scholars tried to legitimate transformative works as a serious area of study. In this essay we focus on remixes intended as texts, privileging a semiotic approach. In particular we argue that the analysis of sign processes and systems of communication is very useful, both on a theoretical and on a methodological level, to deepen comprehension of this kind of hybrid texts. The essay concentrates on audiovisual remixes, precisely on tactics and strategies planned by activists to involve public opinion with respect to issues like environmental protection or freedom of expression. The hypothesis is that the effectiveness of some of the most radical and innovative creative protests is based on the ability to recognize and manage remixes intended as techno-political tools, even though in the digital media milieu the most original campaigns are rapidly assimilated by unconventional marketing strategies, triggering a process of progressive standardization. Through the analysis of some exemplary campaigns planned by GreenPeace and Wikileaks we try to demonstrate that an emerging trend consists in a gradual stratification of texts used to address the receivers. The aim is to provoke a reaction while at the same time entertaining the audience, remixing in an ironic way various intertextual and interdiscurisive references.