Is a canvas ever blank?

Think about it. If I shine an image on a canvas, is it blank? Does it become blank when we turn the projector off, or when we leave the room? Does extreme skepticism and extreme empiricism ever win out over agnostic rationalism? Highly abstract terms, I know - but I'm using them shake up your thoughts to let seeds take root in your non-belief system.

I was reading in Australian Anthill magazine, a rag for corporate cocksuckers and their aspirant media whore hangers-on (such as myself) to congratulate themselves about the concept of personal branding. Personal branding, like corporate or product branding, uses similar themes and concepts; for example - to gain recognition and sales using a discrete package of repeated symbols to produce predictable outcomes in perception. How does this relate to you, and why are you still reading? I'll tell you.

I use personal branding myself online - the "Crushtor" brand is unique, it's my own. It stands for "maverick" journalism even though you've seen little evidence on it here - yet. My "fake" business cards are shocking and reaction-provoking, and may even attract the odd visitor to this website. The brand perpetuates itself - it is both the means and the end. People also use it unconsciously online via Facebook. A few people in my friends list have begun to "brand" themselves as the ultimate party girl/boy - the "most popular girl/boy in school" motif that many people aspire to be themselves, sort of like the "Paris Hilton effect." How do they do it? It's actually quite simple.

First of all, they insert themselves into as many avatars as possible. Their image in another's avatar elevates them to the status of "everyone's best friend." The non-verbal communication runs two fold and circuitously compliments both strands:

1. The party boy/girl establishes his/her brand by having their image grace as many avatars as possible.
2. The less astute/popular boy/girl ascends to popular status due to the "party boy/girl" being in their avatar.

It could be that Western need for attention and popularity rearing its ugly head again (as most cases are) but it could be used as a powerful tool for success, networking and business opportunities. Being seen on Facebook or MySpace often enough means you expose yourself to more people than you otherwise would. Finish it off with store-bought attractiveness (verbal, not physical) and you're an instant winner.

Keeping up social engagements to be snapped on Facebook seems to be more important than the event itself, at least to some. Like most brands, there's only grains of reality that are buried beneath tons and tons of spin, flashiness and purr words. How can you tell X that Y isn't all that they're cracked up to be in the face of that? Well, it's not that easy to answer. As a journalist, its hard to win a PR war with the truth when the almighty image tells you something else.