Post reflection - Theme 2: Critical media studies

This week’s theme was “Critical media studies” and we got to read Walter Benjamin's essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Technical Reproductivity" and two chapters from Adorno and Horkheimer’s “Dialectic of Enlightenment”. These text aren’t the easiest to read and understand if you aren’t used to this kind of texts. So it was good that the lecture explained both the context and the message of the two texts. Here I want to focus on the more important parts of the lecture that I will take with me.

They are written after the enlightenment have shown itself from its weak side with some breakdowns of great technology. And just around and after the fascists has won ground in Europe.

The meaning of myth in Adorno and Horkheimer's argument is that it’s the demystifying of nature and a closeness to nature. Enlightenment on the other hand wanted to bring the man away from nature  and that you should explore it with measurements. Enlightenment wanted to structure the nature into labels. Adorno and Horkheimer thought that this was the wrong way and that you have to break through your pre decided labels and structures to see what more is it in the world. This will cause us to see only what we have decided that we see.

At the seminar we discussed nominalism versus realism. Even though i think I know what the concept of these views is I don’t know if I can explain it good enough. It has to do with universals and abstract objects, and nominalism is the opposite to realism. Nominalism was an important concept this week. Benjamin, Adorno and Horkheimer meant that nominalism was used in either the enlightenment and/or by the fascists and mass media. That it would hinder people to see what is and what an object's possibilities.

During the seminar we also discussed how Benjamin means that culture like film has revolutionary potentials. He thinks this since it can portray ordinary people which people can relate to. Adorno and Horkheimer meant that this was a negative aspect since this could lock people into stereotypes and the worldview that mass media portrait. An example of this the boss and the secretary and their relationship. On film the boss is always a male and the secretary is always a female, this will cement the look on what a boss and a secretary is. Benjamin also meant that film had revolutionary potentials thanks to the editing and sound. By editing the film and adding music you make the viewer a feel in a certain way. With the editing you also choose what the viewer should see and how.