The central topics of the works of the writer, educator, communication theorist, social critic and cultural commentator Neil Postman have always been the media, their different forms of communication and their meanings to people, society and culture. Any of his books was built around the McLuhan-question: “Does the form of any medium of communication affect our social relations, our political ideas, or psychic habits, and of course, as he [Marshall McLuhan] always emphasized, our sensorium” (Postman: 07/30/05)? Postman was aware of the fact that a new technology and therefore a new medium may have destructive as well as creative effects. During the history of mankind there have been tremendous changes in the forms, volume, speed and context of information and it is necessary to find out what these changes meant and mean to our cultures (Postman: 1985, 160). For him, it is a basic principle that “the clearest way to see through a culture is to attend to its tools for conversation” (Postman: 1985, 8). In the book “Amusing Ourselves to Death - Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business” Postman examines, from a 1980s viewpoint, the changes in the American culture caused by the shift from the Age of Reason with the printed word at its center to the Age of Show Business with television as the central medium - or in simplifying terms the shift from rationality to triviality. Twenty years later, the situation has changed again. This term paper will make an attempt to answer the question what the new media, especially the internet, did to the modern (American) culture and to its public discourse. Obviously, Postman’s provocative title “Amusing Ourselves to Death” was just the beginning of a fast moving development since nowadays the modern media world seems to shape our lives under the title “Informing Ourselves to Death” (Postman: 07/30/05) or to use one of the latest terms “Infotaining Ourselves to Death”. ..First of all, the following chapters will examine the line of Postman’s argumentation which led to the conclusion that television has significantly transformed the American society into an amusement and entertainment culture. What has happened and what was the role of the media? Was this the beginning of a “Brave New World”? As a matter of fact, Postman´s theories and statements are not to be taken as unreflected truth. Subsequently,some critical remarks are to be made from a 21 st -century viewpoint. [...]
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. “Amusing Ourselves to Death”
2.1 The Theory: Medium, Content, Culture
2.2 The Age of Exposition
2.3 Entering the Age of Show Business
2.3.1 Television = Age of Show Business
2.3.2 Example News: Entertainment and Disinformation
2.3.3 Example: Commercials
2.4 Critical Remarks
3. Informing Ourselves to Death?
3.1 Mass Media in the United States in the 21st Century
3.2 The Internet
3.3 A New Love Affair
4. Conclusion
5. Resources
Objectives and Research Focus
This paper examines how Neil Postman’s media theories regarding the shift from an "Age of Exposition" to an "Age of Show Business" apply to the modern era, specifically analyzing the impact of new media and the internet on public discourse and cultural intelligence.
- Analysis of Postman’s critique of television as a medium that prioritizes entertainment over rational thought.
- Investigation into how the "now…this" mode of television news and commercials affects American public perception.
- Examination of the internet as a multi-media platform that reshapes traditional communication behaviors.
- Critical reflection on whether "culture-death" is a viable outcome in the current multimedia landscape.
- Synthesis of 21st-century media consumption patterns in the United States.
Excerpt from the Book
Together, this ensemble of electronic techniques called into being a new world – a peek-a-boo world, where now this event, now that, pops into view for a moment, then vanishes again. It is a world without much coherence or sense; a world that is, like the child´s game of peek-a-boo, entirely self-contained. But like peek-a-boo, it is also endlessly entertaining. Of course, there is nothing wrong with playing peek-a-boo. And there is nothing wrong with entertainment. As some psychiatrist once put it, we all build castles in the air. The problems come when we try to live in them. (Postman: 1985, 77)
Telegraphy and photography as the major communications media of the late 19th and the early 20th century “called the peek-a-boo world into existence, but we did not come to live there until television” (Postman: 1985, 78).
The Age of Show Business ultimately came into existence when television unfolded its power and became the most relevant source for the definitions of truth, knowledge and reality of the American society. Because of this, it has been thoroughly integrated with American culture. Television combined the main features and characteristics of photography and telegraphy. It raised “the interplay of image and instancy to an exquisite and dangerous perfection” (Postman: 1985, 78) and therefore, it brought their entertaining factors forward which eventually became content and culture of the public discourse in America´s Television Age.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces Neil Postman’s core media theories and establishes the paper’s goal of analyzing modern media developments from a 21st-century perspective.
2. “Amusing Ourselves to Death”: This section reviews Postman’s analysis of the cultural shift from text-based rationality to the trivializing influence of television-driven show business.
3. Informing Ourselves to Death?: This chapter explores contemporary US media consumption, focusing on the role of the internet and its influence on public discourse.
4. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the ongoing need for media consciousness and critical engagement to maintain control over the influence of modern information technology.
5. Resources: This section provides a comprehensive list of the literature and internet sources utilized in the study.
Keywords
Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Age of Exposition, Age of Show Business, Television, Internet, Public Discourse, Media Theory, Multimedia, Infotainment, Information Society, Communication Technology, Culture, Print Culture, Media Consciousness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores Neil Postman’s media criticism and investigates how new technologies, particularly the internet, have continued or altered the trends of a "show business" culture in the 21st century.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The study centers on the transformation of public discourse, the influence of media forms on cultural cognition, and the shifting roles of television and digital media in America.
What is the primary objective of this work?
The objective is to test the validity of Postman’s 1985 predictions against the current media landscape and determine if modern societies have moved toward "infotainment" or maintained critical awareness.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The paper utilizes a literature-based theoretical analysis, contrasting historical media theory with contemporary empirical studies and industry reports from the early 2000s.
What is the focus of the main section of the paper?
The main part details the historical evolution of media from print to telegraphy, television, and eventually the internet, focusing on their respective impacts on American public and private discourse.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
The paper is defined by terms such as media theory, show business, disinformation, public discourse, multimedia, and digital culture.
How does the internet change the "peek-a-boo" world envisioned by Postman?
The paper suggests that while the internet shares the fragmented and entertaining nature of television, it adds a layer of complexity and interactivity that makes it a "new normal" reality in modern life.
What is the conclusion regarding "culture-death"?
The author concludes that while entertainment and information overload pose risks, "culture-death" is not inevitable as long as users maintain a conscious and critical approach to the media they consume.
- Quote paper
- Julia Schubert (Author), 2005, Neil Postman - Amusing and Informing Ourselves to Death, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/47177
