Post #1: Society of the Spectacle [Ali Ismail]

Ali Ismail

Convergence

9-23-15

You hear of a spectacle and you can't help but feel curious. Hearing the word means that something big and grand that is not of normal occurance is happening right in front of the eyes of a select people witnessing it, and those people hold an experience that no one else can empathize with. It is a visual experience that with the help of technology such as social media and smartphones, is now everywhere when only a few years ago they were nowhere. Debord in her book Society of the Spectacle makes a similar point when she mentions Television as like the smartphones of today, television was an invention that was nowhere, and then suddenly everywhere. Television began to emerge in family households during the 1950s of America which was right after the victory of World War 2 and the rise of Consumerism. The 50s were known as a very happy time where everybody had to buy buy buy to assure their social status and have a happy life. This is part of what Debord speaks about in Chapter 2 of her book The Society of the Spectacle, only she is referring to Television in her example. This idea however correlates to the idea of the Smartphone, or more specifically social media culture in which both were nowhere, but in a short time less than a decade were suddenly everywhere. Even old people who didn't know or didn't want to know about social media knew about its existence. 10 years ago I could only think of Myspace as the first big boom of social media on a wide level. Before that would be small clusters of people on message boards or forums, but nowhere near the level of today's Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. However in this chapter Debord never explicitly states what the Society of the Spectacle is. The Society of the Spectacle refers to the fact that these Spectacles are now at a level worldwide and can be viewed by anybody. An entire society of people on this planet can now not only view the spectacle or any spectacle that emerges no matter how small it starts, but anyone in a moment's notice in less than a day become the spectacle, in some cases without trying to be one.

There are two examples, one recent and one about a year ago, of ordinary people who in a very short time suddenly became a spectacle and were known by nearly everybody. One of those examples is the once very sudden popularity of "Alex From Target" which happened about a year ago from today.

A picture of a boy named Alex who went from working a regular job at Target to suddenly being on the Ellen show and
receiving mass recognition in  a very short amount of time.
Taken from this website

Alex from Target is the epitome of somebody who represents The Society of the Spectacle and how it can turn a very ordinary person into someone who has the eyes and admiration of millions of people. The story of how he became to be couldn't be more simple or basic. According to this article, Alex from Target was a silly joke a few people made on Twitter as part of an injoke. With these social media sites, it's easier for us to hop into the latest fades by simply browsing, hearing it from our friends through sharing and retweets, or by using the ever popular hashtag, and it makes us feel like we are a part of something greater. It's why we have hipsters who boldly claimed "Yea I liked it before it was popular!" All of a sudden in one day which even stuns the writer of the article, Alex from Target turns from an average student working a low income job into a celebrity who appeared on numerous Vines from top Viners as well as appearing on the Ellen show. The fact that this was possible almost sounds stupid, and saying it outloud doesn't make much more sense. However because our society is not only able to witness any spectacle, but has the power to MAKE anything a spectacle, this average joe now is living in fame and fortune for doing absolutely nothing but embracing the spotlight and becoming a spectacle, even if he didn't know he would become one.

A more recent incident of this happening is to a young boy named Ahmed Mohamed. 

A picture of Ahmed Mohamed taken after he was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school and invited to the White House shortly after.

Taken from this website

Ahmed Mohamed is a 14 year old boy who was arrested for bringing a homemade clock that the authorities mistook as a bomb. While I won't expand upon this fact in detail, it's very hard to make a case that this isn't a racial profiling case. His name "Ahmed Mohamed" screams to authorities he's a Muslim and thus the negative connotations that grew stronger against the Middle East after 9/11. It's like if a Christian boy was named "Jesus Joseph". This kid was going to be psychologically traumatized and ruined for the rest of his life for a crime he didn't commit because of his race. However when news spread quickly of what had happened to him, the Society of the Spectacle quickly spread word of his condition and in less than 24 hours the President of the United States, Barack Obama, responded that the watch was cool and he should bring it to the White House. In a day what would've been a horrible turning point for this child's life suddenly became one full of hope and happiness. Had this happened 10 or so years ago, this would not have happened and this child would be having a very dark life in a prison cell.

As we discussed in class and as written in the Chapter, the Society of the Spectacle surrounds all of us and is in our everyday lives. However the spectacle is more than just what we consume. In the world we live in today, anything or anyone can become a spectacle. Even on the first day of class when the Professor mentioned Rudy Mancuso, he is a fine example of a student quickly rising in popularity on a social media platform (Vine) and has his life transformed into a literal spectacle. For Rudy 2 or 3 years ago he was just like all of us worried [or slacking] on the next homework assignment due and with the usual stress/life of a college student. Now that's all in the back of his mind and he's living a good life being a superstar on Vine. The idea of a spectacle of life is something that happened decades ago with Television as Debord makes mention of in her book, and will continue to exist through different platforms even in the future.


                                                                            Works Cited


Classroom discussion. Convergence. Doris Cacoilo September 17th 2015.

Debord, Guy. "Chapter 2: The Commodity as Spectacle." Society of the Spectacle. Detroit: Black and Red, 1977. N. pag. Print.

"Who Is 'Alex From Target' and Why Did the Internet Make Him Famous." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.