Who hasn’t yearned for the ability to change their appearance? Is there anyone who doesn’t crave, however secretly, for a purpose in society? These are not just wants, but needs second only to air and water. If I told you there was a place where creating your own looks and interacting with countless individuals is possible, you’d be tempted to go, right? Of course you would. Cybertown, the “community of the Future,” promises these things, and so much more.
I stumbled upon their advertisement while perusing through a Sci Fi magazine. It was the poorly made aliens that caught my eye. Instead of turning me down, it drew my attention. These days, any twelve-year old with an OS 9 can make convincing computer art. These guys must have something good up their sleeves if they can get away with less-than-stellar graphics in a magazine renowned for its nerdiness. I investigate further.
The title asks, “Feeling alienated on earth?” It’s a redundant question. All humans feel isolated, especially those who read Sci Fi. There’s a reason why people become drawn to the final frontier. After so many Friday nights at home and jibes from fellow Earthlings, the thought of being in a galaxy far, far away becomes intoxicating. Geeks like myself use fantasy and science fiction to forget the dull, dreary, and all too often depressing patterns of the world, and escape.
Cybertown understands this. The message consolingly continues, “It’s hard not to feel out of place on this strange planet of ours.” How comforting those words are! They somehow know I’m not cool, but, miraculously, still accept me. “If you’d like to find a place where you can feel more at home, you owe it to yourself to check out Cybertown.” Home, the only place where you can relax and be yourself. How many websites can offer that?
“JOIN NOW!” the glossy paper demands. “Get your own life at http://www.cybertown.com.” By now, my emotions have been so violated, if they claimed ninety percent of their users meet the love of their life via Cybertown’s chat rooms, I’d probably believe them.
To appeal to an un-cool crowd, you need to employ tactics slightly different from those used for mass media. For example, the models that sell clothes, food, cosmetics, and every other product in existence are a bit intimidating to us losers. How can we compare to those gorgeous bombshells busting with sex appeal? There’s no chance. At Cybertown, appearance doesn’t matter. You can be a cannibalistic alien, and kick the skinny blonde’s butt! The creators of Cybertown know their audience. They’re probably isolated nerds themselves, and understand the outcast seeking refuge in the pages of Sci Fi all too well. Blaxxum Interactive expertly uses their feelings of non-belonging, and exploits it. This manipulation is not unheard of amongst the advertising business. In fact, it’s almost a prerequisite.
My grandfather, who was an extremely successful businessman in his day, often says, “You aren’t selling the steak, you’re selling the sizzle.” Blaxxun isn’t getting members by saying that they have a really cool website with lots of interactive gadgets, they’re capturing the hearts of viewers by offering an escape, a home, even a life. Logically, the victim knows the Internet can’t be a source of such things, but dare to dream. Is it possible that this website will make life on earth more satisfying? It’s a dangerous wish, but the time it takes to type http://www.cybertown.com into a computer is worth the risk. It’s practically shameful, how they offer companionship to the loveless like a rich man handing a starved child moldy bread.
I went to this “community of the Future,” and even my low expectations were exceeded. The site is, to say the least, poorly designed, with inactive links and terrible computer art. The people that lurk there are a bit on the shady side, with little vocabulary skills. Even if Cybertown was a complete and utter failure, the advertising behind it is ingenious. You can’t help but admire the cheeky play on words, or the subtle way they capitalize on human loneliness. Geeks and non-geeks alike fall prey to this manipulation. Every magazine, every store, every school, every bus, every milk carton... we’re all victims of “the man,” in his countless radiant forms. After a lifetime of watching commercials, people grow accustomed to the manipulation, until they don’t even realize it exists. Only when we see the advertisements’ true intentions can the control be overcome. Stop being a sheep of the media, and fight the man!
