Reviews

Nike, Livestrong & Social Media: Why this work is so great

Social media is not an end in itself. It’s not there to create ‘arm’s length’ relationships that exist only in “cyberspace” sheltering participants from intimacy through relative anonymity.

Social media is there to enhance our experience of the real world. To allow us to connect, collaborate and inspire one another so that we might enrich our lives and the lives of those around us.

That’s what this work gets. It’s takes the heartfelt messages of those who truly care about cancer as a cause and puts them where they do the most good – on the road in front of the cyclist riding for a cure. That cyclist in turn brings attention to the cause and inspires others to contribute.

This work is not about tweets or social media. It’s about hearts connected through computer keys and tarmac. The fact that the source material comes from the online world makes the spray painted messages more impactful, but where they come from is not nearly as important as where they end up. This work is a triumph of tone, not technology.

Cancer is not an idea. It’s a visceral, cruel, debilitating, relentless and unforgiving curse on the bodies it consumes. This campaign makes that heartfelt pain and the enduring encouragement of those committed to finding a cure equally visceral.

Just as cancers transforms a body into a map of decay, this work makes “the road a canvas” for commitment to a cure, and the gruelling Tour is a fitting metaphor for this fight. It will take not just one, but many hearts as big as the one in Lance to win this battle. With work like this to inspire us, we can get there.

Go Lance!