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Mass Media And Its Impact On Society Essay

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The modern societies which we presently inhabit are constituted by every day subjects who uphold the deeply imbedded systems of power and complacency through the deeply rooted acceptance of mass media. In the words of Guy Debord, “The spectacle is not a collection of images; rather, it is a social relationship between people that is mediated by images”, where the spectacle is loosely defined as mass media. Debord is saying that mass media is more than just images and ways of communication, it’s how the interactions that happen among these people are conveyed through these images compose the visions of society. However, the definition of the spectacle is not static; it, in fact, must be seen and examined from different angles to be duly defined. “The spectacle appears at once as society itself, as a part of society and as a means of unification” per Debord, signaling that because the spectacle (loosely defined as mass media), is society itself, a mere part of society, and a way of unifying society all at once, the definition changes based on what perspective is being taken. The spectacle defines everything we know to be society as the way it is used for the primary means of communication to manipulate the vast majority of the general public. If we take a look at the TV show Black Mirror, the episode “Nosedive” presents us with a literal interpretation of the spectacle itself as a system of power involving all citizens of a modern society. As the episode continues, it becomes

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