Week 2
According to “Spectacle” by Vejby and Wittkower, our everyday experiences have “receded into a representation” (98). Essentially, the authors are referring to how ourlives have become defined by a spectacle: the media. Because the media are found everywhere, it occupies a large factor of our lives; slowly, our experiences become “inauthentic” because we “passive[ly] spectat[e]” trending culture. People today would rather sit in and watch what they find on TV than go outside and participate in a personal activity with others. Gradually the public is becoming more and more dependent on consuming media and less concerned with physical interactions or experiences.
In “Social Network Sites as Networked Publics”, boyd examines a similar prospect and effect of using media—the creation of networked publics. According to boyd, these publics are shaped and defined by its constituents: people, technology, and the publics' purposes. Though these publics create an imaginary space that people can interact with each other in, they also contribute to the loss of authenticity that Vejby and Wittkower explore in “Spectacle”. Today’s modern technology allows people to communicate with each other without the need to ever leave the house. However, this type of communication is gradually alienating people from one another as they communicate through a screen. This online communication deprives people of a real-life, face-to-face connection and instead provides a virtual reality to exist in. Do you agree with the argument "Spectacle" presents?
