THE YES MEN AND ACTIVISM IN THE INFORMATION ... - Index of

undermine, focusing on channeling cultural profit
away from the large corporations it targeted. 19
Corporate mimesis is a form of “intelligent
sabotage,” a satirical performance meant to, in Tim
Jordan and Paul Taylor’s words, “work against the
invasion of spectacular commodity values
throughout society.” 20 If, in fact, RTMark is a
legitimate corporation as they contend, then their
legal status as such helps the organization to better
protect its members. Since it often does not create
the projects it sponsors, but rather focuses on
publicizing them, RTMark acts as a corporate
middle man. Because of this emphasis on publicity and
appearance, RTMark adopted a farcical version of the sleek, corporate look, as seen in its
publicity poster in Fig. 2. Its adopted visual style, like the layout and structure of the website, is
a parody of corporate culture, emphasized by the use of the purposely vague slogan “Bringing IT
to YOU!” and the use of generic, clip art-style imagery. The group also has PowerPoint
presentations linked to its website, complete with Musak-inspired soundtracks, which describe
19 Sebok, 1. The author questioned RTMark’s actual incorporation. Though RTMark was possibly incorporated in
New Jersey around 1996-98, this could neither be confirmed nor disproved.
20 Tim Jordan and Paul A. Taylor, Hacktivism and Cyberwars: Rebels with a Cause? (New York: Routledge, 2004),
86.
11
Fig. 2. Promotional ad for RTMark.
Public domain.