Blog Prompt: Havidol
PLEASE ANSWER BY POSTING COMMENTS.
Discuss your reaction to "Havidol" by artist Justine Cooper.
http://havidol.com
What do you think Dysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder is? What is the artist Justine Cooper critiquing? Why do you believe she has created such a convincingly real web site - and how does that impact her message?
I think Dysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder is when people start to feel content with their life achievements but can always do more. Justine Cooper is critiquing society's expectation to do everything. It plays off of our doubts of what society expects us to look like, possess, and achieve. I think she created such a real web site in order to reach a large audience and get more people to think about what this "drug" is supposed to be for. I think the website probably got attention from those who thought it was legit and then raised a conversation for others who visit the page.
ReplyDeleteOn the website, Justine defines "DSACDAD" as a development in the brain when it's reward system is compromised, "leaving sufferers feeling less than best." She's playing on the fact that in most cases in contemporary times people are finding it difficult to feel unique and to be the best at something due to the accessibility the public has involving nearly everything, (depending on location, finances and other things, of course). A lot of the population feels strained by societal expectations and are constantly pushing to be better at something- relaxing or taking a break is never an option. She created this convincingly realistic website to call attention to this real issue, and have people give it some serious thought. It's attempt to get attention is clearly working; there's a visitor count at the bottom of the home page and it's almost at one million. I honestly would have had trouble deeming it a false website if it weren't for the prompt. It's purpose is to start a conversation, and recognize that almost everyone feels this way.
ReplyDeleteI think Dysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder is a condition where people aren't finding happiness in their lives as often. Additionally, I think the "Havidol" medication helps bring people happiness from things that they were unaware of would bring them happiness. I think Justine Cooper is critiquing the effects of our face-paced culture and how people get so busy sometimes that they can't enjoy the things in life that bring them joy and happiness. I think such a real website was created because of how real this problem is in our society today. In the Resources tab on the web site there is a 'Signs and Symptoms' tab and I found this really interesting. Almost all of the symptoms were ones that you see on a day-to-day basis, and I think Cooper wanted people to see this and that is why she made this real-life web site.
ReplyDeleteDysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder seems to be when people don’t feel fulfilled by all that they have, and want more. Justine Cooper is critiquing the consumer lifestyle that many people often live by now and the common opinion that one can always do better. There’s always something new and better coming - so relying on tangible objects to bring you joy will constantly leave you wanting more. Along with those tangible objects, people also want to be the best at what they do and will put extensive stress on themselves to be constantly improving. I believe that she created this website to get people thinking about the ‘condition’ and to reflect on it. This impacts her message because it seems ridiculous to need a medicine because good isn’t good enough and people want to ‘have it all’.
ReplyDeleteI believe Dysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder (DSACDAD) is when a person doesn't have that "happy" feeling in his/her everyday life; it's not that he/she is unhappy, that person is just "content." I believe Justine Cooper is critiquing the fact that people are always supposed to be at the top of their game, never "less than the best" (at least, in society's view); and "content" is not the same as "happy"-it's not good enough. I think the main reason Cooper uses such a realistic site is because it's such a realistic problem in today's world. No one can have "off" days, not even "O.K." or "content" days, they all have to have "great" days. People are constantly pushed to be the "best" (whether it's the best looking, the best dressed, the best kisser, the best employee, the best parent and so on and so forth). And HAVIDOL will make you the best of your best self, the top dog, the person society wants you to be. Also, I believe this use of realism impacts the message even more so because if someone were to come across the site, not knowing it's fake, they may actually start to do research on it because they will most likely relate to the urge of being "the best." It pulls readers in and keeps them interested because they see something that they may actually be willing to purchase, if it were real of course. Who wouldn't?
ReplyDeleteI think that Dysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder is a condition where people feel that what they do currently is not bringing them happiness or enjoyment. They feel that there must be something that can make them happy again. Justine Cooper is critiquing that society is confined in a certain way and that people are feeling incomplete and losing their happiness. She critiques that people can break out of this confined space to do what would bring you happiness and live life to the fullest. This realistic website helps convey her message by making it seem like its an actual condition that needed to be addressed and it helps others to see what sort of condition it might be. It may not be an actual condition or it may be, but it certainly shows the possibility of how this condition affects people.
ReplyDeleteI think that Dysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder is a disorder developed as a result of the strains of the modern informational society. Justine Cooper sees the overload of information and consumerism in our time and critiques the lack of personal fulfillment it provides. With this drug, Dysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder will no longer bog you down with the overwhelming sense of unfulfilling desire. You can be happy to have more, and aspire to have more. If you pay attention, Havidol sounds like "have it all". I'll admit I didn't realize the similarities at first, but that is the only thing that might reveal this website is for a fake drug. The entire site is very well put together- it even has a quiz you can take into your physician. It makes me wonder if someone has ever done that.
ReplyDeleteDSACDAC is a mental illness affecting one's ambitions, self-perception, and overall happiness. The artist is critiquing the new generation of mainstream blind ambition that drive's up one's anxiety and often leads to an empty sense regardless of whether meeting the lofty goals. I think the artists point is that the mentality isn't sustainable and should be given a proper medical definition to start treating it like the illness that the artists seems to think it is. The convincing realistic layout of the site struck me as a potential real destination of some of the younger and less satisfied people engaged in this mentality might have stumbled upon while searching for a real medical solution.
ReplyDeleteThe creator of this website, Justine Cooper, made this site in order to define Dysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder. She made this site super realistic, even though when I first read the disorder, I instantly thought it couldn't be real. It basically does like every site or commercial that tries to sale a drug, by stating all the things one might feel they are missing in their lives. This drug in particular is for those feeling unhappy, or finding themselves without the will to do anything different with their lives. If you're feeling too content with your lifestyle this medicine will help. I believe it's just a placebo for the hidden will you already have just giving you a mental push in order to achieve the things you thought you couldn't.
ReplyDeleteI believe DSACDAD is the mental illness described on this site, deriving from our current reliance on material items and attention driven from social media and technology. The artist is critiquing the norms of our current society, where we pretty much have a constant access to any information, and also the effects of seeing so many other people's lives on social media. The constant reminder of seeing what everyone you follow has that you don't, leads to this discontentment Cooper describes as DSACDAD. I think Cooper created the website to look realistic to allow the audience to reflect on how real such a made-up disorder can look in our current mess of a society. I don't necessarily think she's critiquing mental illness or decreasing its validity in anyway, but instead she is showing how much these outside pressures are influencing the great majority of our people- enough to wear they can almost be considered "sick."
ReplyDeleteDysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder is an amalgamation of social dysphoric disorder, attention defecit disorder (ADD), consumption illness, and anxiety. All of which are common mental illnesses pertaining to the brain's reward centers.
ReplyDeleteJustine Cooper appears to be commenting on a few of different things here.
1. The compulsive desire of today's people for immediate gratification. In an age where most of the world's information is at our fingertips and a purchase is just a few clicks away at any given moment; people have come to view "delayed gratification" as an increasingly foreign concept. HAVIDOL appears to respond to this compulsion via immediate self empowerment, increased motivational drive, and an overall more optimistic outlook on life.
2. The desires of people for a "magic pill" that will fix all of their problems. A hot topic for debate regarding mental illness is the use of medication to combat this condition. There are those who long for such a magic pill, those who recognize that such a pill doesn't exist, and those who believe that a pill like this is completely unnessecary when "exercise and a new outlook on life" can accomplish the same thing.
3. The moral conflict surrounding those who prescribe medication and their conflicting position as someone who profits from prescribing medication. "If you start to think, 'I can handle this without the help of medicine,' you are not alone. Many people make the mistake of stopping their medicine once they begin to resume their lifestyle." This portion of the site speaks to the sociological phenomenon where those who seek mental help become dependent on their caregivers/medication to maintain a healthy mindset.
In terms of webpage design, Cooper has created a site that looks convincing on the surface. Navigational tabs within the site address many of the key concepts found on other promotional pages for medication; and the diction used within the page is meant to sound professional, objective, and authoritative. This superficial authenticity forces the viewer to look closer in order to see the clues that flag this page as illegitimate.