Commodity as Spectacle!





"Do I need the latest features and the fastest internet feature on my phone?!"






" I wanted a newer and bigger t.v. that would fit into this tiny space!"




Well.. it seems like we always want the next best thing, or is it an of illusion of it?

 In today's society, it is not a priority to value people and service anymore.  we no longer share ideas and aspirations with friends and family. The introduction to new Media of the internet age has put more emphasis on how much we can consume than how much quality content is being produced and distributed.  We're not even conscious of the information we receive because society has become so detached from the basic ideas of survival.

Accordiing to Debord, the  "Society of the Spectacle" is society glorifying objects that have an abstract value and human behavior and activity is lesser by contemplativeness. It is the stage which commodity has succeeded colonized social life(42).  It  is a general expression and aspects of human activity to possess them(35) and works only as it provides certain pleasures. It is where a man is raised to a higher power by distraction, so I guess one can say we are all part of the "Spectacle."
Authenticity is often replaced by hyper-reality in some form. 

In his writing, Debord describes the inpact of the "Spectacle" as the flipside of money and and abstract that is equal to all commodities(49). It is what it can be and what it can do,  You can only look at it and its use has been an exchange of a pseudo-use of life. The real world has been replaced by images of what is believed to be the epitome of reality(36).

Debord says that commodities are important for an objective evolution of society and the attitudes that people have towards it(35) because the "Spectacle" represents commodity and society as a whole.It is visible and although trivial and obvious, but are compllicated and tangible and intangible things,  It tends to dominate all experiences (37)  and the world is distant from each other and no longer engage.

The internet and television are perfect examples of "Commodity and Society as Spectacle," The Media converges our culture with technology, industry and content.  In this capitalist society, we are
consumed by everything we watch on the t.v., cell phones and the internet.  So much content, we cannot keep up with the fast market of production. Another is example is when human labor changed
to wage labor, then to technology where the proletarian (factory worker etc.)  became less important to the ruling class. 

This convergence of Media and the industrial revolution period transcends economical, social class because without the working class or laborer sustaining employment, there is no money food and shelter,  Therefore, it become a state of alienated consumption. These industries tell us to buy more of what you dont even need, submit or die(42)but the social images that dominate our lives are only decisions made by the gatekeepers of Media and the ruling system of our government that dictate when and how their content will be delivered to us.

We are controlled by the false appearances of images and  real life that is changed by the powers that be in society, and when we become more aware we can make more conscious decisions of what content we allow into our minds and lives.



http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=pictures+of+people+or+things+used+as+being+on+display&FORM=HDRSC2

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=pictures+of+people+or+things+used+as+being+on+display&FORM=HDRSC2