Spectacle, Superstructure, Synergy... - Week 1, key concepts

 

SPECTACLE – a striking event, display or performance of large dimensions, usually scandalous or shocking in nature; often used to manipulate attention away from anything of substance and always used to increase profit. It is one of the key strategies in the media industry and it’s frequently linked with celebrity (people who are famous for “being famous”) for maximum effect. Its success is largely based on our obsession with the outrageous and the sensational and the regularity of its recurrence is based on the media’s vested interest in creating and promoting it.

SUPERSTRUCTURE – a term that encompasses the leading ideas, beliefs and conceptualizations of reality of a particular time (including laws, morality, art, politics and culture in general). A superstructure is, according to Marxists, built on the grounds of a base; the base being another key concept in Marxism that represents the means of production (like machinery, tools and infrastructure) combined with human labor power. Superstructures can be viewed as social consciousness realized through culture.


SYNERGY – a term used to denote a collaborative effort that brings about a result that is greater than the sum of its parts; this word seems to have ceded most of its semantic territory to business jargon and, as I understand it, can almost exclusively be heard in the context of two (or often more) companies working together to execute some sort of cross-platform, promotional, from-comic-book-to-movie-screen-to-ride-in-an-amusement-park, money grabbing scheme, all with the sole intention of increasing profit and widening their product’s demographic.


OBJECTIVITY – well, in theory, objectivity is freedom from bias; an impartial and fair view that is based on facts and not influenced by personal beliefs (in as much as that is possible). In practice, it is the road less traveled by, yet claimed by many - especially with regards to journalism today.  It is not at all difficult to pick up on the specific biases of news networks as a whole or journalists in particular, with most news reports leaning towards sensationalism and laziness in the best case, and in the worst, being unapologetically partisan in their misrepresentations of the facts.


POLITICAL BIAS – is the idea of altering and framing information in such a way to make a political statement, position or candidate seem more appealing and likeable or, conversely,  the exact opposite.
INFORMATION BIAS – any systemic difference from the truth that emerges because of errors in collecting and handling information.

Both these concepts of unfair partiality are woefully apparent in most aspects of media discourse in today’s society. This type of slanting towards a preferred narrative was always present, however, it used to be somewhat cushioned by professional integrity. It might be case that the rapid pace set by the advent of technology sped up the process of consuming and creating content, and somewhere along the line, we allowed such categories as “alternative facts” and “fake news” to enter the discussion as something worth entertaining – it is unclear, as of yet, exactly what sort of long-term consequences that will have on our perception and handling of truth. However, it does not look promising.



 O.K.