Thinking about...The Specular Economy
With the introduction of new
social media forms, words such as ‘voyeurism’ and ‘scopophilia’ that were
traditionally associated with Alfred Hitchcock movies are simply adjectives for
the nature of active internet users. Our love of looking, watching or
intimately ‘spying’ on other people’s lives is now downplayed with accessibility
through Facebook, Twitter, Instgram, Snapchat and other similar mediums.
David Marshall (2010) asserts
that with these new media platforms greater portions of the
populace are now constructing online public personas. He describes the term
‘specular’ as a two-way mirror projection on to the screen and the circulation
of and interaction with those images and texts into the wider world. Indeed,
our Facebook profile is an entirely constructed space to project a sense of who
we want to be perceived as, not necessarily who we actually are. My profile
pictures, for example, are chosen due to how incredibly amazing they make me
look (add a bit of a filter, maybe crop out my arm because it looks a little
fat…). If my Facebook pictures truly reflected my daily appearance, I highly doubt
I’d have 100 likes on those photos.
Marshall (2010) perceives our modern world as a well-developed
specular economy whose foundations are derived from the much longer tradition
of celebrity culture and whose repercussions relate to an emerging
comfortability with a society of surveillance. As much as it may seem surreal, privacy
is not as valued as it has previously been. We have become accustomed to broadcasting
our intimate lives and becoming involved in trivial matters in other peoples (Bentley,
P, 2011). Who we’re having coffee with, where we go to the gym, and who we are
in a relationship with. No longer can we call our friend crying with “Bring me
chocolate! I just got dumped”. Before you can pull out that litre tub of ice-cream
from the freezer I’m sure she’ll be calling you, saying “Babe, saw your status!
Are you ok? What happened? Do I need a shovel?”
In agreement with Marshall (2010), I do believe this
replicates the notion of celebrity culture. The life of a celebrity is one
lived under surveillance, and is broadcasted based on entertainment value. This
is replicated via our own social media usage. When you meet Josh Thomas at
Myer, you put a photo on Instagram. When you win an athletics state
championship, up goes a status (with the expectation of 1000 likes and “BOO YAH”
comments). And your followers are just as interested as they might be in Beyoncé’s
breakfast. And these could be people you hardly know. Creepy.
Sources:
Marshal, P.D 2010, ‘The Specular
Economy’, Society, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 498-502
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteIt’s good to see you confidently using key terms from the unit and the fact that you defined ‘specular’ so early. While I can see what you’re trying to say, you’ve used the wrong word in some places. Using real life examples (cropping the fat arm photo) makes your argument relatable and pushes the reader onwards. I can see that you’ve taken from some valuable sources, but these look like direct quotes and therefore need to have quotation marks around them. While you’re picture was relevant, it didn’t really add much to the post, and I was hoping to see another hilarious link (like last week).
Sarah, it is good how you delve into the specifics of the social media world, using Facebook as an example, as like I mentioned last week, it is a relatable topic to most of us. Your example of your own account and experience with Facebook ties in well with Prof Marshall's theories and points, and also the content for the unit this week. Likewise, I like your example of a real life situation on Facebook, like breaking up with your partner (an intimate topic) and friends knowing and calling before you can think twice. This relates well with the basis of celebrity culture, and how celebrities and their intimate details have traditionally been spoiled through the press before that celebrity could announce it themselves (if at all).
ReplyDeleteGreat blog again, love your narrative, and way of explaining what you have learnt, however it would have been great to hear of perhaps a different example other than Facebook, just to hear your thoughts on how these theories and examples may affect us in different areas of our lives away from Facebook. Perhaps an example of a celebrity may have been helpful too, to tie into the theme. But still, very valid points and examples.
Thanks :)
Sarah, like you I have always associated “words such as ‘voyeurism’ and ‘scopophilia’” with “our love of looking, watching or intimately ‘spying’ on other people’s lives is now downplayed with accessibility through Facebook, Twitter, Instgram…”. However, it was interesting to me that you mention that we all are guilty of a little filter and photo shop before we publish photos online to insure that we are perceived in the best possible light to people who, most likely, know what we look like in real life anyway. Did you consider that this sort of behaviour is why consumers love the ‘stars without makeup’ edition of magazines, or seeing photos of celebrities at the supermarket looking less than their best? What is it about these images that make us feel better about ourselves even though we would be horrified to see an image of ourselves like this online? Do we revel in the ‘humanness’ of these images because we realise that, like theirs, our life is too under surveillance and just like them we “broadcasted based on entertainment value”?
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThis blog post was scholarly and used important key terms which we have gone through in the unit however it is still simple to read and I really connected with the points that you were putting forward. Your explanation of Facebook was spot on, I loved your comments on cropping out an arm or adding a filter because who doesn't do these things! Your use of referencing is well done and adds to your argument of the specular economy. I found your blog post really interesting to read as it made me question my online world, and how I portrayed myself online even if I do so without realising. Great job!
I really liked how you both started and ended with a more personal approach. Drawing directly from your personal experiences before taking a more scholarly standpoint. Good job with getting some of those key terms in there too! I sometimes find myself staring that the weekly glossary additions and wondering how to turn them into a relatable blog topic!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post! And as previous comments have mentioned, it really does encourage your audience to take a closer look at their own online habits!
Sarah, that was an enjoyable post to read.
ReplyDeleteIt was very well written, with an excellent use of course material and additional research, both of which enhance your argument not make it for you. I felt that you captured the essence of what David discusses with the construction of a public persona and in the blurring of the public and private personas through social media use. A well- presented post with a picture that doesn't take away from your work, be sure to reference them though (unless you took it). All other referencing was correct. One suggestion would be to also use the Daily Mail article as a hyperlink within the blog so the reader would be enticed to read the whole article themselves. Excellent work.