In this paper I aim to revisit and add my own contribution to the theory of the spectacle by comparing Guy Debord’s model of the spectacle introduced in his book “The Society of the Spectacle” with a new type of spectacle – the spectacle of fear, here epitomized by the 9/11. By comparing Debord’s model with this new type of spectacle, I proceed to identify the key differences between the two, arguing that Debord’s certain fundamental theses on the spectacle need to be revised in order to understand the spectacle of fear.I propose to revise Debord’s theory in three ways. Firstly, the spectacle no longer represents the betterment of reality, with trauma becoming its chief end product, replacing satisfaction as the correlate of Debord’s spectacle. Secondly, as the consequence of globalization and development of technology, the state and the corporate have lost the monopoly over the spectacle and individual is now able to produce and disseminate streams of spectacles at unprecedented speeds. Finally, I introduce the audiovisual magnitude and the intensity of the trauma inflicted to the spectator as the sole determinants of the effectiveness of the spectacle of fear, leading to the argument that the spectacle always seeks to increase its own magnitude as it immunizes the spectator against its lighter versions.
keywords:
spectacle fear audiovisual magnitude audiovisual trauma U ovom se članku želi vratiti i dati vlastiti doprinos teoriji spektakla kroz usporedbu modela spektakla kojeg uveo Guy Debord u svojoj knjizi Društvo spektakla i novog tipa spektakla – spektakla straha, ovdje predočenog kroz 11. rujna. Komparirajući Debordov model s ovim novim tipom spektakla, uočavaju se ključne razliku tih dvaju tipova te se tvrdi kako neke Debordove temeljne teze o spektaklu trebaju biti revidirane kako bi se shvatilo spektakl straha. Predlaže se revizija Debordove teorije na tri načina. Prvo, spektakl više ne predstavlja poboljšanje stvarnosti, trauma postaje glavni krajnji ishod spektakla te time zamjenjuje zadovoljenje prisutno kod Debordovog spektakla. Drugo, zbog utjecaja globalizacije i razvoja tehnologije, država i korporacije su izgubili monopol na spektakl te sada i pojedinac može proizvoditi i diseminirati niz spektakala pri neslućenim brzinama. Naposljetku, uvode se audiovizualna magnituda te intenzitet traume koju trpi promatrač kao jedine determinante učinkovitosti spektakla straha. To dovodi do teze kao spektakl uvijek pokušava povećati svoju magnitudu dok imunizira promatrača protiv svojih lakših inačica.
keywords:
spektakl strah audiovizualna magnituda audiovizualna trauma