Topic > Analysis of the society of the spectacle by Guy Debord

This book is an account of the society of the spectacle by Guy Debord. It is a theory that our society is dominated by images and characterizes and drives our consumer society. The images we see are seen through various methods such as advertising, television and other media along with banners and signs. People in consumerism see images of things to buy and go away, but the things and the reality created by the world become what they represent. Regardless of whether people have money or not, they can get credit and pay for it with money they don't have. This idea of ​​credit for all helps people in power get more money and power. The more technology advances, the easier it becomes to empower the consumer society, move into new market areas, and continue to advance the new way of life in America and around the world. Debord states that “the spectacle is a capital accumulated to the point that it becomes an image.”(34) This is the link between money and the spectacle or images. Advertising and other methods of disseminating images require money to produce and make public. When a product is desired by the public, it is then consumed and helps more powerful and upper class people acquire wealth to continue to flood our minds with consumerism. With this money and social control over the mass population comes control of institutions. With constant pressure to purchase certain products Debord states that "the spectacle is a permanent war of opium waged to make it impossible to distinguish goods from commodities."(44) When people do not know why they are purchasing a certain product for his social status, they are under the spell of consumerism and will do what they are encouraged to do by power... middle of paper... we are a consumer society and we are driven by images. I think it's a problem how upper class people use this to improve their fortunes and slowly killing our economy. I agree with Debord on all the points he raises. For the most part I don't find myself involved in this consumer society, but I can see how it grips certain people and gets to the point where it defines them. I think Debord doesn't like the new society, so I wish he would come out and say more negative things about consumerism. The way Debord makes individual points rather than a single theory is interesting because he can jump from one point to another without sticking to certain factors. This allows him to look at things from many different angles, which is important when you talk about the world, which is very complex and includes many different variables..