Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin: Modern Urban Life - Essay Example

In this work, Simmel underlined that in conditions of the modern city and urban society an individual can successfully develop his skills and abilities, as the economical and political situation of modern and post-modern communities promotes individual freedom and flexibility. Simmel underlined that “the city conspires to erase difference by assaulting the individual with an overwhelming and never-ending stream of visual stimuli” (Byram, 2002). This vision is inherent to the spacing theory of scientific rationalism, modern and post-modern experience that fills the space with giant cubic forms suppressing the consciousness of people and their freedom.

In Simmel’s opinion, our society consists of individuals who interact with each other, and the features and specificity of this interacting form of our society: “While there is no perception of society until individuals begin to interact, once formed by the interaction of individuals, the society affects the individuals as an outside force” (Crow Ch., et al., 2000).Benjamin considered modern urban experience and a new politics of vision through the development of technologies.

He underlined that “because of mechanical reproduction, art loses its authenticity. Simmel also underlined that a metropolis allows individuals to develop their freedom and art. But on the other hand, Simmel asserted that post-modern urban spirit threats individuality (see above). As well as Simmel, Benjamin had a positive attitude toward communications development: “Benjamin is positive about new technologies, emphasizing their liberating, democratizing influences. Simmel gave a more social approach to the communication technologies as interactions between people asserting that they form our society, but Benjamin wrote about the positive attitude towards such technologies as film and photography: “New media technologies such as photographs, epic theatre, and especially film and photography, not only destroy art's ‘aura’ but demystifies the process of creating art, making available radical new access and roles for art in mass culture” (Bicket, 2001).