Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business - Book Report/Review Example

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Dis in the Age of Show Business It is beyond any doubt that technological progress is having an important impact on the development of the human civilization. Nevertheless, many scholars often point out that this influence in not always positive. This paper will analyze the book that is titled Amusing Ourselves to Death that was written by Neil Postman. To begin with, one should note that the book was originally published in 1985 when the interest towards George Orwell’s 1984 was at its peak. In spite of the fact that Postman acknowledged the fact that the future truly holds some negative points for the humanity, he argues that it is not totalitarism that the world should be afraid of, but the state of affairs that was described by Aldous Huxley in his Brave New World. Indeed, the author of the book in question makes a comparison between the contemporary media and soma – the drug that was described in the latter book. One of the major points that Postman makes is that form is able to exclude the content which means that different media simply can not convey the kind of message that is necessary for gaining the correct understanding of the situation. A considerable amount of criticism in his book is directed at television news which he sees as the main factor that contributes to devaluation of information and negatively affects the ability of people to process it critically. For example, every evening people watch news about event that happened in other parts of the world. In spite of the fact that it surely widens their outlook and they might be truly sympathetic, they are not able to do anything about it. Thus, people may be sorry for the victims of the armed conflicts, but they are not able to help them in any way. Gradually the understanding of the fact that information is something that is not connected to real life distorts the world view. He argues that in the previous times information was primarily conveyed through speeches which should be seen as a peculiar social phenomenon which facilitate interaction of people and exchange of ideas. Postman suggests that in the contemporary society politicians are more concerned with presenting themselves to the audience and creating a positive image, rather than making a thoughtful speech or work on their program. This situation is explained by the author with the help of the term that he coins – information-action ratio. Thus, according to him, several centuries ago the majority of the information that people processes cause direct action, while all the modern devices distorted this state of affair, providing people with information that they are not able to react to in any way. A good example is watching televisions which provides passive involvement and converts entertainment into activity that does not require any actions from the viewers. Keeping in mind that the audience for such entertainment is extremely big companies often think about the financial aspect of the television; as a result, it is not intellectual value that decides which programs will be shown, but rather commercial feasibility. This means that television can hardly be regarded as a platform for aesthetic interaction that different parts of the population might use. Finally, one of the most striking differences between the contemporary world and the world of the past that is highlighted by Postman is the way famous people are recognized in the society. Thus, nowadays a celebrity or a politician is primarily remembered for one’s looks or any other visual aspect rather than words that were spoken. In other words, the political world becomes rather shallow since people who are engaged in it work hard to acquire the approval of the majority not through political programs, but with Public Relations events which encourages them to redistribute their attention. As one can easily see, the book in question is extremely interesting. However, in order to gain a better understanding of it, one should carry out an objective analysis that would include its strengths and weaknesses. Speaking of the former, one should note the following: the book truly presents the familiar picture of the public entertainment, television and media from a whole new as well as unexpected perspective. In other words, the advantage of this book lies in the fact that it contains ideas that are likely to challenge the conventional view on the role of media in the contemporary world. However, as for weaknesses that the book has, one should note lack of objectivity. In spite of the fact that the claims that are made in the course of it are logical, they are too one dimensional and always belong to a particular side. In other words, if the author had included the views from the opposing side as well, the discussion would have been more objective and convincing. The language that the author uses might be seen as persuasive, yet it may sound a little bit aggressive at times. It is quite understandable that there are topics that are discussed in the book that the author strongly opposes to, but he could have done a better job to conceal this aggression in order to maintain the objective tone. In addition to that, the words that are used throughout the book rarely feature highly sophisticated terms which allows every reader to understand the content. It is quite interesting to see how the author discusses the relationship between the media and the citizens: he often points out the inequality between the two sides of the interaction. In other words, the parts that are dedicated to passive entertainment encourage the reader to think that people who watch television are almost exploited by it. There is not doubt that there is a fair share of exaggeration in this kind of thinking, but the author seems to be convinced in its validity. In general, one would make no mistake that the book in question is a valuable source for the people who are willing to learn more about media ecology and the way society is influence by media. The reading is truly insightful and allows people to reevaluate their position on something that everyone deals with on a daily basis. The book provides a wide framework for research; that it why should be primarily used for obtaining general concepts that will later be projected onto the current state of affairs since it was originally written several decades ago when many of the technological advancements which shape the contemporary society have not been invented yet. In addition to that, the book is irreplaceable while designing a platform that would contain ideas of the modern researchers. What is more important is that it has a considerable number of implications that might be used in many different areas of social environment which makes its contribution to science universal. There is one more point that should be included while considering the peculiarities of the book, namely what the author left outside the focus of his investigation. Thus, it must be noted that in the times when the book was originally written, namely 1985, there was not Internet; that is why the author views television is the primary platform for the media. It would be extremely interesting to see what the book would have been like if it had been written several decades later. There is no doubt the author can not be blames for focusing on television only; however, other media, for example radio, should also have been covered in order to provide the readers with a broader perspective on the situation. Having examined all the points that were analyzed in and about the book, one should note that it does not have a direct connection to Islam or study of Islam. Nevertheless, there are numerous ideas that the book in question features which might be used while considering the role of Islam in the contemporary social environment. Thus, the book would argue that the image of this religion is largely affected by the new that are being presented, turning it from a spiritual tradition into some kind of a violent cult. In addition to that, a careful analysis of the television environment would also show in what way religion is perceived in general. For example, there are numerous programs when preachers address the wide population spreading their ideas. This means that religion is regarded as an irreplaceable part of the social life that inevitably divides the population into groups that belong to various spiritual traditions which may become the platform for future conflict. What is more important is that religion might use social media to address numerous people extremely easily. Speaking of the connection between the book in question as well as the lecture Islam in America, one would have to mention an important point: with the help of a considerable number of news reports, Islam is not associated with terrorism which means that ordinary citizens are not able to perceive it as a peaceful religion. Moreover, the patterns in the contemporary media are likely to worsen the situation rather than contributing to formation of a positive image. References Postman, N. (1985). Amusing ourselves to death: Public discourse in the age of show business. New York, NY: Viking. Read More