Language of Separation
What you're reading is an attempt to delve deeper into the third aphorism featured in Guy Debord's 'The Society of the Spectacle'. If you missed the last one, you can read it here.
Here's the actual passage:
The spectacle presents itself simultaneously as all of society, as part of society, and as instrument of unification. As a part of society it is specifically the sector which concentrates all gazing and all consciousness. Due to the very fact that this sector is separate, it is the common ground of the deceived gaze and of false consciousness, and the unification it achieves is nothing but an official language of generalized separation.
The planet's obsession with connecting the entire world birthed a slew of technologies that made it possible to 'share' events and happenings from any corner of the world. When our primary method of interacting with reality is mediated via screens, it's no wonder that the spectacle becomes multi-faceted in its role.
A singular spectacle would be considered a part of the global society, while the collection of images, scattered across screens, billboards, magazines et al. could be seen as a near-accurate representation of society as a whole.
Uncharted Territory
Spectacles and representations have become so powerful in their own right that exploring them is akin to charting new territory altogether. This is perhaps why the phrase 'dive into the internet' became so common. This sector, so to speak, is brimming with representations that are taken to be the mirrors of reality and thereby command attention, mostly in the form of the human gaze and contemplation.
However, because it is separate, i.e. divorced from reality in more ways than one, whatever attention it commands is also warped to the point where it is no longer recognizable from what it originally was. I suspect this is what Debord meant when he was referring to the deceived gaze and false consciousness.
A New Language
Any system of symbols, upon becoming sufficiently advanced becomes a language of its own. It's perhaps why we don't do a double take upon hearing phrases such as 'language of cinema' and 'language of music'. Even if we aren't proficient in these languages per se, we recognize that these art forms possess enough depth and complexity to be in a league of their own.
The spectacle, in its own right, has perfected the art of detachment, replication and boundless dissemination. By doing so, it introduces added layers of separation between the lived experience and itself. The more it's copied, the greater the separation.
Ultimately, it reaches a point where it's indistinguishable from whence it was derived from and its meaning can be apparent only in the milieu that it establishes for itself: for us, this is the internet. This persistent separation becomes the de-facto 'language of generalized separation', one that is blind to all differences.
It is perhaps the first truly global language that is spoken across the world in unison.
It also probably explains why some of my fellow alums in college, despite being born and raised in India, wept publicly upon realizing that Donald Trump had won the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections.
It's somehow making sense to me now, albeit in a weird way.
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If any of this sounds relatable, please write to me. Part of the reason I write this is to seek out more people who feel the same way I do about the modern Internet.
If you enjoyed reading this, you might like my cleverly disguised rants on LinkedIn too.