OPINION: Social media have been central in spreading band’s freedom of speech message
‘This
is a chord, this is another, this is a third. Now form a band.” Those
were the words accompanying an illustration in English punk zine
Sideburns in December of 1976, perhaps the first definition of the punk
rock spirit. Anyone can be in a punk band, anyone can make music, as
long as they have something to say.
Prioritising the message was
key to the punk ideal, as bands all over the word espoused democratic
change, in music and in life. Making the tools available to everyone was
just as important. It didn’t matter if you had some beat-up guitar or
half a drum kit, as long as you said what you felt needed to be said and
you weren’t waiting for anyone else to tell you that you could, you
were punk. You still are.
“We are all Pussy Riot,” said Kathleen
Hanna, former singer in riot grrrl band Bikini Kill and feminist icon,
in a recent interview. It’s a simple enough sentence, though one
pregnant with power. Hanna noticed the radical and important link
between the actions of the Pussy Riot group in Russia and the original
impulse of all punk music. Three members of that group were jailed last
Friday on the grounds of hooliganism and incitement to religious hatred
after performing a “punk prayer” song of protest in the Cathedral of
Christ the Saviour in Moscow.
Pussy Riot were anonymous and, with
the exception of the three jailed women in the spotlight, they mostly
remain so. Covering their faces, they became a singular force rather
than a collection of individuals. Where the early punk bands dressed in
denim and leather, Pussy Riot appeared in neon balaclavas and colourful
clothes: an inverted uniform, designed to make them stand out as one.
Their songs are fast, simple and full of chanted slogans. It is music
anyone can make and anyone can join in with.
There is no barrier
to entry into Pussy Riot, beyond the courage and conviction to protest
against injustice and oppression. This is the core power of their
movement and all punk movements: anyone can do this, so join us.
There
are some factors, however, that make Pussy Riot a new chapter in the
history of punk protest, some things that could only be happening here
and now that help to account for the lightning rod effect this has had
on the global imagination. Most important is the ease with which the
story is spread. Pussy Riot and their supporters have taken advantage of
the democratisation of the means of distribution.
Much in the way
that musicians can now release their music to a potential audience of
millions through various social media and sharing platforms, Pussy
Riot’s story has spread through Twitter, blogs and Facebook. They are
not waiting for the major news outlets to come to them – their lawyers
are tweeting from the courtroom. They are spreading information faster
and more widely than authorities can control it.
In this day and
age, nothing is shared more than music. YouTube links fly back and forth
over social media at a terrifying rate and mp3 blogs rose up in their
thousands over the last 10 years. Music is everywhere on the internet.
When Pussy Riot chose a band to be the centrepiece of their protest
movement, they tapped into this sharing mentality. They chose the medium
most open to shares, embeds and re-blogs. They understand web content
and its importance, creating videos and mp3s that could be spread
worldwide at the touch of a button rather than attempting to sell
records bearing their message. News about them spread through music
websites as much as traditional news outlets, reaching people who never
read the news.
The second element in this equation is the audience
that Pussy Riot’s message went out to. In the last year, the Occupy
movement spread across the globe, giving anyone predisposed to activism
an outlet to express their feelings. The movement inspired solidarity,
uniting hardened protesters with wide-eyed undergrads behind one banner
and one word. Though that initial spark has fizzled out, it left a
hugely increased audience primed for action.
Suddenly, there was a
worldwide demographic charged up and ready to actively support causes
for positive change. It is this group of people, from all countries and
all walks of life, that Pussy Riot has reached out to. There are no
borders to this message.
Their idea is clear: they want the
freedom to do, say and think as they wish, without the undue pressure
and influence of the government. It’s a basic civil right. The message
is simple enough to resonate with people around the world who are used
to the apparent luxury of free speech. It has been presented in the
right form, with enough flair, to reach that sympathetic audience and it
has affected them deeply enough to spark a new round of activism where
everyone can get involved. What’s more punk than that?
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