"Media Spectacle" presents Douglas Kellner's critique of contemporary high-tech, media-driven society which, he proposes, is dominated by the phenomenon of spectacle. The whole notion of "spectacle" as the dominant mode of capitalist/consumerist society is by no means original to Kellner. His analysis seems inspired in part by the philosophy of Guy Debord (Society of the Spectacle, 1967), and by the American historian/philosopher Daniel Boorstin, whose provocative 1961 book "The Image" is an earlier and more accessible exposition of the same ideas. Boorstin referred to "pseudo-events" and famously defined the celebrity as one who is "known for his well-knownness."
Peters brilliantly examines the problem of communication and explores many of the major themes in the history of communication theory. This is a beautifully written and insightful work, more philosophy than history, that will have you thinking about what really is essential about human expression. Peters adroitly critiques the romantic new age veneration of dialogue and traces its origins from Socrates to the present day. "In certain quarters," he observes, "dialogue has attained something of a holy status. It is held up as the summit of human encounter." The author argues convincingly that dialogue is highly overrated, for not only are we incapable of accurately… Read more
