Folke Janssen was born in 1979 in Helmond, the Netherlands. He is currently
based in Rotterdam, working on various projects.
"Objects are a means to content".
His latest works derived from a search for enjoyableness of imagery focused
on contemporary image-cultures.
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"Self-promotion as a symptom of a time where (especially for younger generations) intercommunication is changing into more calculating forms . Context from which one communicates and the causality of statements / expressions in an internet era are handled more consciously and carefully. Young people today are often those who walk the path of least resistance. It's a generation that no longer opposes authorities (unlike older generations, such as x - ers, punks, baby boomers, etc ), stay longer at home during their studies, go on vacation with there parents willingly, go out with them and listen to the same music (in combination with other genres) .
This trend of communication and positioning, as mentality, is implemented by these younger generations into other areas. Particularly in the case of expanding the public space, with the main task of forming collectives and strategies, it seems these new developments are not restricted to the individual level. You could argue that forging collectives, with the objective to determine a position and communicate this position in order to consolidate this position and the collective, is a form of self- (group-) promotion or advertising to promote the profitability of a particular sector in a competitive market. As you mentioned during your lecture, the penetration of the market into other spaces is not reversible, but it is possible to balance things out by expanding other spaces. The developments at the individual level can certainly affect or perhaps even determine the formation, positioning and communication of the collective and it's behavior in the public space.
There are also some dangers in these developments, i think. Dangers in the sense that a collective can take the path of least resistance because it anticipates at what is expected of "him" from the outside in order to secure its own position. Resulting in the moderation of basic values and content (like in politics) or in the possibility that the diversity of the sector is under pressure because different positions / collectives outcompete each other.
So to the question "Could self promotion be more than merely an advert in a competitive market?" I answer yes. As the market has expanded over other areas, and it is not just reducing, I acknowledge the importance of the collective to ensure the creative sector and its content. And from the standpoint of sociological developments, this self branding and advertising aspects will be part of the public (and other) spaces. Just as in politics, it will be a task of the collective to ensure content and basic values by trying to open and consistently in their positioning and expressioning. When creeds appear to be empty, content will be declined to advertisements or self- promotional murmuring in a competitive market." - F. Janssen, 2014
