The Ethereal Ouroboros
What you're reading is an attempt to delve deeper into the 13th aphorism featured in Guy Debord's 'The Society of the Spectacle'. If you missed the last one, you can find it here.
Here's the actual passage:
The basically tautological character of the spectacle flows from the simple fact that its means are simultaneously its ends. It is the sun which never sets over the empire of modern passivity. It covers the entire surface of the world and bathes endlessly in its own glory.
I understand that the word tautology could cause some confusion here. For the record, let's get that out of the way. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English language defines it thus:
noun Needless repetition of the same sense in different words; redundancy.
I am reasonably certain that Guy isn't referring to the technical usage of the term, as featured in the formal study of logic.
The Perverted Ouroboros
It's impossible to not think of the Ouroboros emblem whenever one comes across anything that is deemed to be reflexive. The original representation was a gnostic and alchemical symbol (FMA fanbois and gals should remember this) that was meant to represent the unity of life.
Here's what it looks like. It makes for an excellent tattoo if you ask me.
Comparing the spectacle with the Ouroboros is blasphemous, I know, but the spectacle is more or less the modern, technological equivalent of the continuous cycle of life and death.
In an age where 'content creation' reigns supreme, to the point where armies of people and robots alike are employed to keep up appearances, engineer representations, and alter the very fabric of what it means to be alive, recycling and repurposing becomes evident.
Content Repurposing
'Content' ranks right on top of the list of words I hate, 'content repurposing' only reinforces the hatred because of what it represents. Endless regurgitation disguised as novel representations.
By no means would I fault people for drawing deeply from works of times past, espeically when the source material is rich and timeless to the point where it's a perennial source of inspiration. I do that myself with this blog here. What's unplesant though is when it bleeds into reality and initiates an endless cycle of imitation whose source is eventually buried under a deluge of copies.
Intentional Passivity
'Be intentional' is a quip that you will see being thrown around a lot in several parts of the internet. It is well-meaning advice. One that stems from living in a world of infinite convenience. However, what people don't seem to realize is that the passivity that stems from ubiquitous convenience is also intentional.
Why would you resort to a food delivery service when you can cook yourself? Why would you use an app to summon a professional to clean your toilet when you can do it yourself? All that time saved doesn't translate to anything meaningful other than the creation of technologies that perpetuate, if not propogate the spectacle in some form or the other.
The spectacle exists to represent reality, but over time, reality becomes subservient to the spectacle and is contained within it. Intensified communciation technologies, à la the Internet only accelerates this trend to the point where the spectacle becomes the alpha and omega of human existence.
The spectacle exists solely to serve itself, and is indifferent to the kind of carnage it causes along the way. To break away from it would be to reject mdoern society altogether, not something for the faint of heart.
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.