The Society of the Spectacle

Analyzing Society of the Spectacle, it became apparent to me that Guy Debord was ahead of his time when it comes to getting across his thoughts.  Debord had a philosophical way of evaluating what he foreshadowed society could become over time.  His use of vivid descriptions to get across his point allows the reader to make evaluations on their own and to get them to think about society as a whole.

One particular point that Debord made which I find remarkable is that for society, knowledge was deteriorating.  My evaluation of what society as a spectacle means is that Debord made an amazing proclamation because as society has become more reliant on technological innovation, the knowledge human beings posses is not being adequately used.  Debord was able to successfully foreshadow that as society became more comfortable with technology taking over their lives, the tradeoff would be not utilizing knowledge like it was previously.  Innovations have essentially consumed peoples lives to the point that society has become antiquated with more direct communication.

Innovations over time have changed the way people communicate with each other.  During the time of Debord, people were more self-reliant because there weren't devices being created that did many basic, essentials for them like what we have today.  Instead of direct communication, people communicate in quicker variances in the form of text messaging or video chat.  I interpret Debord's message as without the use of innovations or mass media which help to get society's message across today, society's knowledge would not be plagued by the deterioration Debord alluded to.  Instead, mass media and innovations has allowed people's lives to become more convenient and less challenging thus knowledge no longer having the same value as it once did.

Commodity as a spectacle delves into what particular set of aspects make society valuable.  What's valuable in society today is finding ways to continue to enhance the way society communicates.  Whether that happens through the form of converging media which we have seen over the passage of time or finding the next solution that society will deem as a necessity because it makes life more efficient and convenient.

After reading Debord predict what society would eventually become and depend upon, I find it interesting to see how much more society can be pushed and what will be the potential ramifications.  What will be the next societal commodity that helps to shape and ultimately drive the world that people live in?  Debord knew it would be the introduction of mass media and now we have seen mass media become intertwined with the social media world.   Due to Debord, I'm anxious to make my own observations and yearn to successfully foreshadow what the next society of the spectacle will ultimately be.