What came first the chicken or the egg? Does anyone really know the answer to that question? I don?t think it is possible to figure out that and have good proof to back it up. In our society today it is hard for us to know who we really are. Do have certain ideas about life because you came up with the thought or because they were implanted in you? We live in a society of the spectacle. Spectacle is a complex term that is defined in a number of ways in Kellner?s article. We can first look at the spectacle as ?it refers to a media and consumer society.? We place value on commodities in our society and if it is useful to us and has social importance then we have to have it. We, as the consumer, are buying into a world someone else has created. The spectacle also ?refers to the vast institutional and technical apparatus of contemporary capitalism?to relegate subjects passive to societal manipulation and to obscure the nature and effects of capitalism?s power and deprivations.? A great example of this in the article is seen through schools. We go to school to learn but all we are really doing is memorizing some things and taking a multiple choice test where our odds are good that we can narrow down which answer is correct. The article states that this approach kill creativity and chokes the spirit and joy of learning. The article also talks about how we live in a society of spectacles. We have moved from being to having to now where we are at the point of having to appearing. We are now concerned with the look. A great example was discussed in class about ?keeping up with the jones?? and how people buy that nice big SUV. It isn?t practical for the person to have the car but they like the way it looks and how it makes people view them and their status so they own the car. In searching through Amazon.com it is all about the spectacle. Amazon makes the appearance of the commodity very appealing. You have reviews from people saying this is a must have. I like to think of spectacle as something that is eye-catching or dramatic in a public display. When I was surfing Amazon many things caught my eye and if I didn?t have a credit card bill I am currently paying off then I would have gone shop crazy for sure.
Now let?s take a look at simulation in Kellner?s article. We look at a new era of simulation which enters us into the postmodern society of the simulacrum. In this type of environment we don?t have cohesive relationships, shared meaning doesn?t exist
and there is political struggle. Here everything is turned inward and this results in a devouring of all truth, reality and power. The article goes on to discuss the society of the spectacle and the regime of simulation as two different stage in which the simulation overcomes the spectacle. When spectacle and simulation work together the only role you have is to be a spectator and a consumer. At Amazon you play the role of the consumer and they make it very easy for you. All you have to do is click on things you like and they show you more stuff that you would like. One click leads you to another click and the cycle is an ongoing affair.
Looking at the interactive spectacle this ?involves an implosion of subject and object, and the creation of new cultural spaces and forms and new subjects. This stage of spectacle is more active and uses new technologies like the computer and virtual reality devices. Interactivity is a transformation in our society. The movie Minority Report comes to mind, how we can be walking through the mall and a computer projected sales pitch will be thrown your way with your own personal name in it. Amazon.com is all about interactivity. Each and every move you make on the website is thrown into their database and used to bring you more products similar to the one you just clicked on. This process gives us a sense of engaging in an actual relationship with a sales clerk but we know that in actuality we really aren?t.
The spectacles that we allow ourselves to engage in are things that we do subconsciously as a society. Because of the spectacle that has been created there is a particular aura that exists when you are in a particular place. In the article by Benjamin he discusses aura. This concept is the manifested state that is present when you are around something. It is defined as ?the unique phenomenon of a distance, however close it may be.? On Thursday you can walk around campus and it is just a normal day, but when you arrive for the game on Saturday it is a different story. Campus come alive and the presence that exist is not like any other. There is an aura that is unique to game day that isn?t felt, seen, or heard on any other day of the week.
When you go to an LSU game you can plainly see a great example of the spectacle. We as the consumer, are paying for the spectacles of entertainment. You can?t go to an LSU game without seeing Mike the Tiger, watching the LSU cheerleaders, and without looking at the instant replays on the big screen. If you missed the play, have no fear the big screen got it and will show it within seconds. I have been to games where friends will pick up there phones just to rub in their companions face where their space as geography is at the time. In Mitra & Schwartz?s article they discuss the concept of space as geography. It is that everything is located in a particular spot on the earth. This concept is pretty basic and self explanatory. A great example can be seen through the lab exercises that we did. Here we can see that Barnes & Noble is located in a particular spot on the earth. Yes, there are different locations because there is more than one Barnes & Noble but each individual store has its own spot. Amazon.com doesn?t have a geographic
space on the earth. Amazon is in cyberspace and for me to rationalize that not being a geographic space would make my head hurt so I am not going there.
Going back to game day and the LSU campus we can look at this place in two lights. Place is discussed in the Sorenssen article and is defined as ?order?in which elements are distributed in relationship of coexistence.? Place is also a distinct location. When you enter on to the LSU campus on Saturday it appears to be a different place due to the presence and aura of that day. It does however have the same distinct location as any regular school day. Just like Tiger Stadium, when it is game day it is referred to as Death Valley.
Our society is so wrapped up in living like everyone else that we don?t see these things as we go about our daily business. Now as you drive down the road pay attach to all the spectacles you come across. As you go to an LSU football game look around and see all the fans and watch all the activities that make the game special. It is no longer about the action that is taking place its about the entertainment. We as a society want to be entertained constantly. If we are bored then we aren?t going to come back. We want to be pleased and if we are pleased then others are pleased. Its as if no one came think for themselves anymore and we all go with the flow of the traffic.
