The Commodity as Goods that Exist Within the Spectacle

Oge Gbanite
9/24/2015
The Society as the Spectacle

                This new world of Smart phones is run by needs and desires, and although these needs are, many times, unnecessary, we are made to believe that we need them, and in needing them, they become us. Commodity, as a need, as a good, then becomes the thing to talk about, to be desired, commodity, becomes the spectacle. This commodity exists in all stages and facets of life, and in all environments; it is the desire for more, more, and better. In "The Society of the Spectacle" by Guy-Ernest Debord, he speaks about this commodity as a spectacle, in other words, needs becoming the media, the thing to watch, to talk about, and made famous, and the public, in turn, being shaped by the media and needing more. This continuous cycle can make goods appear more valuable that money, and the integration into this spectacle are more valuable, as well.
               The commodity is the universal category of society as a whole. it encompasses lives as a whole. The spectacle, can be defined as the persons whole life, constantly moving, and wanting, and being given, and wanting more. A constant revolution of movement, influencing, and being influenced in order to continue to cater to the demands and illusionary needs of the consumer.
               The spectacle makes goods feel like they provide satisfaction. In this day where smart phones and social media rule our time, our money, and our lives, this fascination with being a part of that world can bring more satisfaction that a drug. According to Debord, "The spectacle is a constant opium war which aims to make people identify goods with commodities and satisfaction with survival that increases according to its own laws. (44)" The commodity runs itself through the needs of the consumer, the more the consumer needs, or thinks they need, the more the spectacle provides. One of the many commodities of our culture has become cell phones (cell phones are the hub with which other commodities erupt from), this commodity has become a spectacle feeding itself, and filling and refilling our desires with the next new phone, new app, new game. As the spectacle gives more, we, as consumers want more, thus fueling our own "opium war", and making us addicted to the next thing.

Security guard viewing thousands of cell phones with Mantaray cell phone detector. http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0158/4352/products/prison_cell_phones_0504_1024x1024.jpg?v=1422035982

 

This addiction runs itself, it fuels itself, and it is perfect in the sense that, your addiction to it, or refraction to it still makes it a thing to be acknowledged. According to Debord, "In the essential movement of the spectacle, which consists of taking all that existed in human activity in a fluid state so as to possess it in a congealed state as things which have become the exclusive value...(35)" This spectacle, this ever-changing need that Debord refers to is the media. It takes up every aspect of our lives, and it does it so fluidly, so seamlessly, that in many instances, we do not even know that it is happening. As Debord states in 37, "this world at once present and absent is made visible by the spectacle, and the world of commodity dominates all that is lived." We are consumed by our need, whether it is cinema, like it was in the time of Debord, TV, or the world of reality television, it consumes our lives, eating into our minds and conducting the way we eat, live, dress, and think.

 

Neo in the Matrix awaking from sleep in the real world.http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/matrix/images/b/b7/Free_yourself_from_the_Matrix!.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090127200025

 

Advertisements drive the spectacle. This Matrix affect leaves us in a dreamlike state, a state of constant activity within the spectacle, and constantly wanting more of the commodity. And more importantly, we are happy with the illusion that these commodities mean something because they are made to mean something and we are made to believe that these needs mean more and more. According to Debord, 47, "The real consumer becomes a consumer of illusions." What does Debord mean by the 'real consumer'? The person that follows he spectacle head on, that is affected by the advertisement, and moves as the spectacle moves lives in a dream world. Nothing stays the same, the commodity constantly changes and the spectacle evolves with it, as the people follow along like addicts to a dealer- looking for the next hit.

 

The commodity changes depending on the culture, time, place, and needs of the consumer. For some, the commodity can be clothes, beauty, or popularity. It varies based on the culture and the things that influence that person. For most of us, that have minimal knowledge of twitter, and reality TV, the spectacle is that minimal knowledge, and it constantly evolves. What the eyes see constantly fuels the need for commodity thus feeding the spectacle, and giving us more, and we always accept.

 

Flavor Flav and his Flavor of Love contestants

 

Debord, Guy-Ernest. "The Society of the Spectacle." The Situationist International Text Library. N.p., 1967. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. 

 

The Spectacle (Theodore)

According to Guy Debord the spectacle is all of the media and its forms that we encounter and use in everyday. In a literal sense, a spectacle or spectacles are something you use to view something so in a sense the spectacle can be seen as something that helps us view certain aspects of ourselves as a society. Debord mentions that the spectacle is capable of "incorporating into itself all the fluid aspects of human activity so as to possess them in a congealed form" (Debord, 35). Essentially we, society and the spectacle are unable of being detached because the two are interdependent.

Going back to the quote that I mentioned in class, "The spectacle is a permanent opium war designed to force people to equate goods with commodities and to equate satisfaction with a survival that expands according to its own laws" (Debord 44). Television shows, movies, the newest iOS update, the newest iPhone or gaming console is what is the "opium" that keeps us tuned in on to the spectacle. It's a constant void that we help fulfill by our constant consumerism and the appeal of the spectacle as a commodity. 

Keeping Up With the Kardashians

       
Directly referring to the spectacle as I have interpreted Debord's spectacle, tv and movie industry are the epitome of our society in relation to the spectacle. Tv shows like "Teen Mom" and the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" have created a black hole that constantly consumes people once or twice every week, and with Generation X it has become the way of life for some. Everything they do is inspired by the Kardashian/Jenner family or something they saw on a TV show. Or in the case of movies, the people who have dedicated hours and days to learn Star Trek's Klingon language and the ones who have actually went on to make Jedi teaching into a religion. In this case the commodity could be seen as the TV shows or movies that attract audiences, or society, to feed and be fed by the spectacle.

Apple iPhone 6

To break down the commodity further, it can be broken down to the idiom, “keeping up with the joneses.” The commodity can be looked at as something that the Joneses had or did, that everyone else then purchased or did just because, making it something that must be purchased or done to be considered a part of the spectacle, or to be an insider. “The spectacle is the stage at which the commodity has succeeded in totally colonizing social life. Commodification is not only visible, we no longer see anything else; the world we see is the world of the commodity. Modern economic production extends its dictatorship both extensively and intensively” (Debord, 42). All aspects of social life are becoming based on what you have, if you know about the latest trends, if you have seen the newest movie, or if you have watched Narcos on Netflix. Now that there is more things being produced more than ever the commodity is blatant in everyday life.

Like Brittney mentioned, the two (the spectacle and society) were initially separate but interrelated because of their interdependent nature, but now the spectacle has taken on a life of its own that we have come to depend on and constantly fuel. We HAVE to order the iPhone 6s because it's a second faster than the iPhone 6 and it has a new 3D touch feature. It's a cycle that holds the majority captive.

Society of the Spectacle: Chris Zranchev

        According to Guy Debord, “the society of the spectacle” is the relationship of the use of mass media and how it affects people and how they live their lives. They go hand in hand, feeding off each other. The commodities people receive and how they view them, all sway how people make decisions and go about their daily lives. Through this spectacle, the desire to want slowly shifts into the need to survive. 

https://mimoshow.com.au/photography-reiner-riedler-fake-holidays/

The spectacle is in essence a norm that society unknowingly seeks to achieve and fit into. It is the feeling of seeing something that is desirable and also one’s intention of achieving that desired commodity. In order for the spectacle to exist, society must continue to produce commodities. For this cycle to continue, the fragmented commodity must be consumed by the fragmented society. Debord states “the world at once present and absent that the spectacle holds up to view is the world of the commodity dominating all living experience. The world of the commodity is thus shown for what it is, because its development is identical to people’s estrangement from each other and from everything they produce. (37)” This means that society has created a spectacle through commodity and through this spectacle a cycle is created in which society can either follow or stray from. To add onto Debord’s idea, capitalism is what subjugates society and engulfs them into the spectacle.

https://airrdotme.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/bigstock-we-love-it-45529564.jpg

Mass media is without a doubt a huge influence in people’s lives and how they make choices. Especially in today’s day and age, media is one of the leading factor and sources of learning because it is so easily accessible either through radio, television, the internet, and social media. Though this is not necessarily a bad thing, society uses these tools in a manner that isn’t beneficial to their lives. Advertisements in particular also drive the spectacle and stray people from wanting certain things because it isn’t “socially acceptable.”

Through advertisements, society is sucked into believing and wanting certain commodities. People are brainwashed into thinking that they need a certain product because advertisement portrays it as a necessity rather than a want or desire. Social media is also a key factor in the society of the spectacle. Social media is a mask to hide people’s imperfections and flaws, as well as feeding one’s ego. Through the power of social media, society can pick and choose how the rest of the world sees them. Society feeds off such influence, wanting to be part of the “social media” world that only portrays false ideas of how people live their lives. Debord states that “the perceptible world is replaced by a selection of images which is projected above it, yet which at the same time succeeds in making itself regarded as the perceptible par excellence. (37)” The spectacle has trapped society into believing that they must follow a certain norm in order to fit in. 

Sources

Debord, Guy-Ernest. "The Society of the Spectacle." The Situationist International Text Library. N.p., 1967. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. 

Society of the Spectacle - Brittney Seegers

In Guy Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle, Debord speaks about the relationship between the spectacle, which in common terms, encompasses all forms of media today and it’s usage, and the society, the consumers who use said technology. For Debord, though the two begin separately, they eventually rely on one another, and states that spectacle exists by “incorporating into itself all the fluid aspects of human activity so as to possess them in a congealed form.” (Debord, 35)

Kylie Jenner, Gigi Hadid & Hailey Baldwin (Instagram)

He goes on to say that the commodity is fetishized and it “attains its ultimate fulfillment in the spectacle, where the perceptible world is replaced by a selection of images which is projected above it, yet which as the same time succeeds in making itself regarded as the perceptible par excellence.” (Debord, 36) The commodity here is described as something intangible. It’s not something you can attain in the regular world, but more of an idea that’s projected upon society until they seem to believe it is within their grasp, but only as something held in the highest regard so that those who don’t reach it have something to continue to strive for. He adds that “the world as once presence and absent that the spectacle holds up to view is the world of the commodity dominating all living experience.” (Debord, 36) We still believe that the world we see is an attainable one, and in that we believe that we are separate from the commodity and that it is just something we need to get without having to actively participate in the production of it.

Debord describes the spectacle as “the stage at which the commodity has succeeded in totally colonizing social life.” (Debord, 42) Before this point, in terms of capitalism, the commodity existed only to create what was needed. The producers, or workers, particularly during the Industrial Revolution, weren’t necessarily concerned with leisure time but more with how their working time was spent in terms of production. Once we reached a point where the amount of product was above the maximum needed output, those same producers were expected to also become consumers of the very products they helped make.

An iPad in line for an iPhone 6S (The Verge)

One prime example of the commodity as spectacle is the iPhone and the selfie culture that came along with it. As a product, the iPhone represents convergence at its height in today’s society. More than a phone, through apps and other developments, it’s used to further advance technology and productivity outside of what the phone itself is actually used for. Beyond it’s technological purposes, the selfie culture bread from apps like Instagram and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter exist to project a certain life onto people, one that’s seemingly superficial as we pick and choose which photos to post, complete with filters and angles we find to be the best ones. As these become the main things people see, they also turn into what people expect life to be like and they all strive to have the same aesthetic. It’s a completely false one, but as everyone decides to tailor their photos to that aesthetic, it becomes accepted as reality. The spectacle becomes a cycle that it seems impossible to get out of.

Debord, Guy. "Chapter 2: The Commodity as Spectacle" Society of the Spectacle. 2002. 

Monster, By The Name of Media

Gabrielle Mendoza            

September 24, 2015

Convergence

Cacoilo

               Monster, By The Name of Media

            In his famous work of philosophical thinking The Society of the Spectacle, theorist Guy Debord enlightens his audience on a powerful “spectacle” that unconsciously controls society today. The relationship between society and commodities is the “spectacle” that Debord speaks of in his book. In other words, the “society of the spectacle” is the modern society that is passively participating in the spectacle of obsessively consuming fabricated images of media. With all this said, Debord goes on to explain the impact of the spectacle on society. Even though his book was written in 1967, his theories can be linked to today’s society and how they are involved with the spectacle. It could even be argued that Debord’s theory on the spectacle reigns true even in today’s society.

"Media Monster Unleashed" Photo Courtesy of Sony of Canada

       The impact of the spectacle has shown to be massive in not only the eyes of Debord, but even in the relationships of media and consumer in today’s world. In his book, Debord describes the impact of the spectacle to be similar to a growing, power-hungry monster that has an ability to control the world around it. He shows this when Debord states, “in the spectacle’s basic practice of incorporating into itself all the fluid aspects of human activity so as to posses them in a congealed form, and of inverting living values into purely abstract values—“ (Debord 35). In this statement, Debord brings into light the power of how easily and greatly the spectacle can affect humans. The spectacle can control their ways of living with the ideas that the spectacle projects onto its society. For example, if a woman reads an article on weight issues in the magazine such as the Cosmopolitan or sees images referring to this on Instagram with products that can help, she may be inclined to do something about her own body or buy the product. In his work, Debord is trying to convey the great impact the spectacle has on the lives in the society and how it can easily manipulate anyone. 

Customers buying Pope Francis merchandise
Photo: Robert Miller

           Debord's theories on the society of the spectacle as well as the commodity as a spectacle can be seen in more recent events; specifically the events of Pope Francis's visit to the United States. Pope Francis is always seen as a simple religious figure, but when he stepped foot on American soil, he became so much more. Hundreds and thousands of people lined up at the crack of dawn just to get a glimpse, and if lucky, a selfie with the famous figure. This is where Debord's theory of the society of the spectacle comes into play. The people who participate in standing in large crowds to go and see the pope or even the people who constantly check media coverage on his visit become the society of the spectacle. They become engulfed in the media and its coverage of the pope. Debord's theory of commodity as a spectacle can also be seen  by how sellers are reaping the benefits of the pope's visit. In his article on the media mania of Pope Francis's visit in the PoliticoMedia, journalist Joe Pompeo writes about this. Pompeo quotes a magazine in saying "Religion typically sells well" and how there is truth to that statement (Pompeo). Although the pope's visit may have been focused on a religious focus, there are still elements of the event that the pope cannot control; the consumerism-based side of the events. By viewing the media coverage of this event, it can be easily argued that commodity has so quickly and easily become a spectacle on it own.

iPhone 6 line at Toronto's Eaton Centre  (via @KristinaParts)

           The society of the spectacle has become one that breathes in and out obsession. As a result of the growing power of the spectacle, the society has become fetishized with it. This comes to describe Debord’s term of the “commodity as a spectacle”. Debord states, “The fetishism of the commodity – the domination of society by ‘imperceptible as well as perceptible things’ –attains its ultimate fulfillment in the spectacle” (Debord 36). In the spectacle, unnecessary wants have become dire needs and the society is devouring this concept. We NEED to get the new iPhone 6s. We NEED to see Pope Francis. We NEED to take a selfie right now. Debord furthers this speculation when he states, “The spectacle is the stage at which the commodity has succeeded in totally colonizing social life. Commodification is not only visible, we no longer see anything else” (Debord 42). It is as if commodity latched onto the spectacle and has become one with it. With the constant boom in consumerism dealing with commodity as a spectacle, the society shows to be hypnotized by the spectacle and the commodities that go with it and that this fact will never change. We have become too engulfed into the spectacle and there is nothing we can do about it. In the end, we all wanted this, right?

Photo: Nicola Dean

Sources:
Debord, Guy-Ernest. "The Society of the Spectacle." The Situationist International Text Library. N.p., 1967. Web. 17 Sept. 2015. 
Pompeo, Joe. "Media Mania as Pope Francis Makes His Way to America." Media Mania as Pope Francis Makes His Way to America. PoliticoMedia, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.

Guy Debord Response

Gerald Allen

September 24, 2015

Convergence

Prof. Cacoilo

            In Guy Debord’s Society of the Spectacle the topics of consumerism and how society is driven by achieving a certain look are examined. The society of the spectacle according to Debord is “presents itself simultaneously as all of society, as part of society, and as instrument of unification. As a part of society it is specifically the sector which concentrates all gazing and all consciousness” (Debord 3). The spectacle is all about a look that society unknowingly aspires to, it is the feeling of seeing something that is desirable and also the feeling having or obtaining that desirable thing.

            Debord states that “the concept of spectacle unifies and explains a great diversity of apparent phenomena. The diversity and the contrasts are appearances of a socially organized appearance, the general truth of which must itself be recognized” (Debord 10). An excellent example to illustrate this point is the group of younger teenagers who’ve never seen Michael Jordan play basketball but still feel the need to purchase his shoes because everyone else has them. And on the other hand, there are some shoe buyers that purchase a pair of Air Jordan’s for the sentimental value and justify spending two-hundred dollars on a single pair of shoes because they claim to remember a game Michael Jordan played in the sneakers. In this example, two different very different groups are purchasing the same shoe but for different reasons. As consumers our reasoning for purchasing an item may be different, however, Nike doesn’t care why people are buying their shoes as long as they’re buying them.

            

The commodity as a spectacle is described by Debord as “the principle of commodity fetishism, the domination of society by "intangible as well as tangible things," which reaches its absolute fulfillment in the spectacle, where the tangible world is replaced by a selection of images...” (Debord 36).  It’s human nature to want the next best thing, however, some consumers take this feeling to extreme limits. Debord makes an interesting point when specifically pointed out how we are capable of being dominated by intangible things. With the rise of the internet and social media sites, people are always online interacting with their followers. Social media websites were first created as a way to communicate with friends, a platform for free expression, and/or a way to meet new people who share similar interests. These days people can attract such a large following that they can actually make money and become internet famous. This chance at stardom is what drives a lot of people to be prominent social media figures.

            And with smartphones and other portable electronics, we can literally be connected to the internet wherever we go. People can’t escape social media’s presence. Often times social media websites can actually dictate what is considered cool and uncool and as a society we don’t ever stop to question why do we care what people who we’ll probably never come into contact with think of us. Guy Debord’s Society of the Spectacle dealt with topics that have been plaguing humans since the beginning of time and with the ability to always be connected with people will only intensify the feeling of the spectacle. 

Spectacle

Tahir Russell The Spectacle

            The society of the spectacle is what humankind has been consumed of unknowingly. Technology, social media, movies, music, radio, all of those are how human beings are constantly consumed by the spectacle. We regard it as something small and some people try to avoid being consumed by media and the spectacle in various different way but we are all consumed by it even those who make the media are not immune. The French theorists Guy Debord describes the spectacle as “where the tangible world is replaced by a selection of images which exist above it, and which simultaneously impose themselves as the tangible par excellence” (Debord 36). The fake and superficial images we are fed in our society become things people consistently crave, from the worship of celebrities in our culture to technology.

Apple, one of the most popular tech companies in the world has developed somewhat of a cult following. 

            Technology and fashion in particular are an interesting topic people will flock for the new hottest thing. New phones and sneakers are items people consistently wait in long lines for hours for. People get robbed, beat up, and even killed over these material objects. In this modern society we are constantly told that we must have this new object, whatever it may be. 

            Debord explains this further by stating “The spectacle is a permanent opium war which aims to make people identify goods with commodities and satisfaction with survival that increases according to its own laws. But if consumable survival is something which must always increase, this is because it continues to contain privation” (Debord 44). He goes on to explain people consistently need to buy more material objects in order to fill a void in their lives. Ads, commercials, product placement are all examples of the spectacle, feeding us useless information so that we become ignorant to the world around us. Those are the commodity of the spectacle, the must have, and must see object of the world, the things that make us stand in lines for hours a day.

            News in most regards has become a spectacle as well, instead of hearing about the worlds events we are consumed by the daily activities of the Kardashian/Jenner clan. While they have become household names no one in that family has made any positive contributions to our society that require the amount of attention that they get. “Until recently the news has meant two different things-events that are newsworthy and events covered by the press” (Shirky 64). As Shirky describes the media has changed a lot in recent years, from the way it is covered and even the topics that are discussed. Bloggers can now be considered media outlets despite some not being professional and as established as companies such as the New York Times. 
                                     

    The Kardashians, the family the world loves to hate and love at the same time.They are always in the media in some way good or bad.

                 The commodity is immensely embedded into our lives, even people who tried to avoid it by not watching tv or having a smart phone are influenced. People still have to drive to work or take some form of transportation to get around, ads are on the radio and in subways and buses. The commodity of the spectacle can influence all aspects of our lives despite how hard we try to avoid it. It matters how we choose to deal with its influence so we do not become slaves to its constant influence. 

 Debord, Guy. The Society of the Spectacle. New York: Zone, 1994. Print.
 Pavlik, John V., and Shawn McIntosh. Converging Media: A New Introduction to Mass Communication. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. Print.