society of the spectacle.

Debord's most influential piece of work was 'Society of the Spectacle', first published in 1983. 

In the first lines (p.24), Debord presents the reader with the basis of his ideas, which is that in modern capitalist society, life "presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles." He goes on to say that everything has "receded into a representation" Debord gives the idea of a loss of individuality, and people instead becoming fused into a "common stream" due to modern society.

Throughout the book each point that Debord makes is numbered. Our study group picked up on point 28 (p.32): 

"The reigning economic system is a vicious circle of isolation. Its technologies are based on isolation, and they contribute to that same isolation. From cars to television, the goods that the spectacular system chooses to produce also serve it as weapons for constantly reinforcing the conditions that engender “lonely crowds.” 

The juxtaposing idea of 'lonely crowds' is one of particular interest, as well is the idea of a 'vicious circle of isolation'. This can be seen in modern society as people are dependent on media outlets and have therefore become less sociable and isolated themselves in the media, which has became the norm in modern society. This becomes a vicious circle as there is no escape from the media, it is constantly produced and surrounding everyday life. 

part 187 of 'Society of the Spectacle' also reinforces this idea of isolation, as Debord writes "the language of communication has been lost"(p.124). However, in my study group, we believed that in many ways, new media outlets increase communication. news channels on television allow news to be communicated to the public quickly, and the internet has given people a freedom of speech which was never available before. This freedom gives individuality, implying that media has actually increased individuality rather than taken it away as Debord believed. 

who is Debord

Guy Debord (1931 - 1994) was a French theorist, writer and filmaker who was heavily influenced by Marxism. He was concerned with the capatilist control of governments and of the media over everyday society through growing mass production and mass consumption.
He wrote the pamphlet 'Report on the Construction of Situations' which was the founding manifesto for the revolutionary organisation Situationist International, a group with ideas rooted in Marxism which promoted the idea of fulfilling primative human desires, and living alternatively to capatilist order. Situationist International aimed to construct situations which were disruptive to social norms. In order to undermine consumer society, vandalism, strikes and sabotage were encouraged. Situationist International saw it as their responsibility to make clear to the mass population the impact of the consumer society they lived in. Their aim was to be catalysts in a new revolution against capatalist order,  however, the group disbanded over tactical disputes in 1972. Their ideas however, continue to have a lasting influence on art, politics and philosophy.
Debords best known work is 'Society of the Spectacle', in which Debord highlights that due to capatalist ideals and control of the growing media people in society become representatons rather than individuals, and 'psuedo - needs' have been created due to mass consumption.
Society of the Spectacle was extremely influential, particularly to student rebellions in 1968, and many quotes from the book were used for graffitti in and around Paris at the time.
Debord continued to exert influence, writing The Game of War in 1987 and Commentaries on the Society of the Spectacle in 1989. In 1994, he commited suicide Champot, Upper Loire. Only after his death did he achieve celebrity status in France.