The Society of the Spectacle

By Alima Khanu

According to Guy Debord, the Spectacle is the media and all aspects we as people encounter each day. Debord outlines the spectacle to be when authentic societal living is replaced with the perception of how life should be and it’s representation in the media. Debord argues that the history of social life can be understood as "the decline of being into having, and having into merely appearing." It is when living simply becomes about having more and more for the look of things rather than for true happiness.  With the Spectacle, human perceptions become warped which alters life as a whole, mainly diminishing the general public’s knowledge level.

Debord's main goal with the spectacle is, “to wake up the spectator who has been drugged by spectacular images." He plans to do this “through radical action in the form of the construction of situations. These situations include the, "situations that bring a revolutionary reordering of life, politics, and art". The continuous cycle of the spectacle can make objects that are normally not of value become more than just a want but a need, evenetually turning into an obsession.  The commodity makes goods feel as though they bring the ultimate sense of satisfaction which brings us terms such as “shopaholic”. Just as a person can be physically addicted to alcohol, it is now possible to be physically addicted to material things. It is now common for objects to take the place of normal social relationships.

Debord spends a great deal of time talking about the commodity as a spectacle. The Society of the Spectacle is essentially the critique of contemporary consumer culture and commodity fetishism. It deals with issues such as class alienation, cultural homogenization, and the mass media. The commodity can be defined as many things in today’s society, mostly being objects and driven by those we see in the media. Body image is a huge commodity today, fueled by social perceptions and mass media’s idea of how a person should look. Body image was turned into a commodity when surgery is used to obtain it. As media expands through social website such as instagram and twitter, body image commodity increases as professions are created through these mediums such as “Instagram Models.” Despite doing nothing more than taking selfies and looking beautiful in the way that society appreciates most, Instagram famous people are held at a higher standard than regular instagram users. This pedestal eventually takes the payment of 10K likes and turns into actual payment through advertisers due to the person’s popularity. Debord’s fourth thesis is: "The spectacle is not a collection of images; rather, it is a social relationship between people that is mediated by images."

In a consumer society, social life is not about living, but about having; the spectacle uses the image to convey what people need and must have. A person must have the newest shoes worn by Kylie Jenner, try the newest make up technique worn by Kim Kardashian, and rock the newest jacket worn by Kanye West.