The opening chapter by Guy Debord, called simply, separation perfected, is something of a peculiar nature, one in which Debord pushes on the idea of mediated representations of present time, and direct experience, while at the same time Debord is taking a clearly negative position against this concept mediated representations. However, what does he mean by mediated representation versus direct experience? In the article, Debord says: “The entire life of societies in which modern conditions of production reign announces itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation” (Debord, 1), this quickly becomes a topic of debate. Is it true? Have we as humans separated ourselves from direct face to face interaction, to mere representations of true interaction? This is something Debord continuously highlights throughout this chapter.
As one continues reading further into Debord’s article, his position on reality shifting into, what he calls, a mediated representation becomes ever present. Although this article was written in the 1970’s when technology was slowly on the rise, we can apply his thoughts and ideologies into present times. Debord’s idea of mediated representations becomes increasingly more clear when considering the utilization of cell phones or internet, when we communicate via these mediums, according to Debord, we are only creating a representation of what would really be happening if it weren’t for the exploitations of capitalism. Returning back to Debord’s time, it becomes apparent what he means by something mediating representations, especially in the form of imagery. He continues in this chapter by highlighting that: “The spectacle is not a collection of images, but a social relation among people mediated by images” (Debord, 4), signifying that society is not “real-life” anymore, but is simply a spectacle, one that we experience through imagery.
This idea that we live today in a society is based on social relations among people that are only mediated by images, or in other words a spectacle, leads us to question what contemporary society is, as if it’s all an illusion, one in which everything is portrayed as good and positively affecting our lives. Debord highlights this notion in the text: “The spectacle presents itself as an enormous unutterable and inaccessible actuality. It says nothing more than ‘that which appears is good, that which is good appears’. The attitude which it demands in principle is the passive acceptance” (Debord, 12) thus this tends to highlight that within the spectacle, anything that appears is essentially for us to be perceived as good, and not evil or demeaning in any way.
Another interesting point that Debord touches up on, is the idea that these images that the spectacle mediates, are, according to Debord, something of a hypnotic nature. He points this out and says: “When the real world changes into simple images, simple images become real beings and effective motivations of a hypnotic behavior. The spectacle as a tendency to make one see the world by means of various specialized mediations (it can no longer be grasped directly), naturally finds vision to be the privileged human sense which the sense of touch was for other epochs” (Debord 18). In other words, he is highlighting that such mediated images soon push a sense of hypnosis on us. When we think of things like a Facebook profile, or even a Linkedin profile, we become in a way hypnotized into believing that this is something of grandiose relevance to our lives, when it is all just part of mediated imagery that mediates social relations between us and other people.
Debord also goes into the topic of self-realization within the spectacle, highlighting that it becomes hard, if not impossible. It becomes apparent that as people attempt to understand themselves and their needs through the representations created by the spectacle, they in turn become lost in their own existence and desires. Debord presents this idea: “The more he contemplates the less he lives; the more he accepts recognizing himself in the dominant images of need, the less he understands his own existence and his own desires” (Debord, 30). This seems to accentuate one of the main arguments Debord is bringing across regarding the spectacle, that by critically thinking and contemplating what he or she desires from the spectacle, the less it becomes apparent what he or she truly lives for and wants out of life. Thus, the spectacle creates a fog screen, one that seems to block out individual’s sense of reality and needs of accomplishments.
Discussion Questions
- Do you agree with Debord? Is society really framed, more or less, as a spectacle?
- When it comes to identifying between a falsely represented life, and real-life, do you believe there is any separation between the two, when considering the spectacle?
- As we progress in history, do you believe we are being more or less consumed by the spectacle?
References
Guy Debord (1970) “Separation Perfected,” Society of the Spectacle. Detroit: Black & Red.
media art & theory 