Theme 2: Critical media studies (after)

Zulfiya Tarazova. Theory and Method for Media Technology

Theme 2:  Critical media studies (after)

For the seminar I have read the texts of Walter Benjamin's "The Work of Art in the Age of Technical Reproductivity" and Adornooch Horkheimer’s “Dialectic of Enlightenment”. If I compare these texts with Kant’s writings, I can say that they are easier to read and understand.  This is because these texts were written in the previous century, so the process, which described the founders of Frankfurt school are familiar to us. I mean the process of machine fabrication, industrialization and etc. 

At the lecture the professor said that we should consider thoughts of philosophers in the in the context of historical events that took place in that time. For example, it is important to remember that these authors wrote on the first half of XX century, it was the time when the Fascism began to rule. 

In the beginning of the essay, Benjamin talks about the relationship between "superstructure" and "substructure" in the capitalist order of production. The concepts "superstructure" and "substructure" should be considered in the context of Marx’s ideas. According to the electronic resource Wikipedia, The German philosopher Karl Marx classified the human society into two parts: the “base” and “superstructure”; the “base” comprehends the forces and relations of production — employer-employee work conditions, the technical division of labour, and property relations — into which people enter to produce the necessities and amenities of life. These relations determine society’s other relationships and ideas, which are described as its “superstructure”. The “superstructure” of a society includes its culture, institutions, political power structures, roles, rituals, and state. The base usually determines “conditions” of the superstructure, yet their relation is not strictly causal, because the superstructure often influences the base; the influence of the base, however, predominates. So, why then does Benjamin talk about the relationship between "superstructure" and "substructure"? This is because he thinks that the process of influence of the “substructure” (base) on the “superstructure” is visible only after some years. While these two parts are inseparable from each other, the influence they possess of each other is only visible after a time span.

According to Benjamin, culture has revolutionary potentials. In his discussion on the topic cultural revolution, the philosopher tells how humans since ancient times have passed on information to younger generations. For example, ancient people painted their story in caves, but today we can record any information on camera and transmit it to the mass.

Special attention is paid to the theater. It is much difficult for an actor to demonstrate his skills on camera. I guess, this has something to do with “revolutionary potentials”, because if the actor can show his audience an "aura" of play, the art will rise to a new level.

In my opinion Benjamin's perspective differs from the perspective of Adorno & Horkheimer in this regard. This is because Adorno & Horkheimer have witnessed in the field of industrialization more negative than positive sides. They assume that cultural industries, which are gaining momentum, is a commercial unit for the production of uniform, standardized innovations in the fields of art, painting, literature and movies. In such situations, valuable profits for the person no longer matters. It is purposely a business for entertainment. According to Adorno, evolution should be seen in a lesser or greater extent as an art in the society. Culture industry significantly slows down the development of art. So in harmony with Adorno & Horkheimer’s writing, “enlightenment” becomes a process that misleads people. “Enlightenment” can draw modern people back to “mythologizing”. In this case “myth” is regarded as an erroneous view of the world, when society tries to illustrate the world’s image with erroneous judgments. According to philosophers media is the main compilers of error.

The works of Benjamin brings out the fact that contemporary art is focused on the masses, who are looking for entertainment and are not able to focus on the art culture.Movie as an entertaining art, which fully corresponds to the scattered perception that has developed in the first half of XX century.If contemplation requires concentration and immersion in a work of art, on the contrary the process of entertainment obliges man to burry creativity inside himself.

The German philosopher distinguishes two types of perception - visual and tactile. The first requires from person self-discipline, intense attention and understanding the art work. This process can also be considered as contemplation. The second type of perception is carried out in a relaxed state and does not require concentration. It is implemented by addiction.

Traditionally, the work of art was seen as something that is irresistible in a person's daily life. Benjamin explains such a feeling of remoteness which is obtained from the contemplation of a work of art, with the presence of the “aura”; which according to him possesses such special qualities as elusive, invisible, beauty and charming. Meanwhile, in his works, the German philosopher doesn’t give a clear answer to the question whether the aura is part of objectively existing properties of things, or it is a subjective quality of human perception.

To read about the ideas of philosophers of the school of Frankfurt was interesting. It is easy for me to agree with some of them, for example, the idea about the great influence of the media on the human consciousness.  The texts of these three writers have had a great influence on the development of media studies.