Thank god that's over.

NO MORE BLOGGING TASKS!!!!!!!!1!11!!!!1ONE!!1!

Surveillance and Celebrities

As discussed in the lecture this week, we are now living in what Marshall (2010, p. 499) is referring to as, a specular economy. 

Without using overly contrived language, the specular economy is a concept of how we as a collective society seem to be far more aware of our outward appearance and how others perceive us.

There is a commonly held assumption that everyone is being watched or monitored on how they’re dressing when in reality, nobody cares. Even if somebody does care, you have to ask yourself does it really make any difference in the slightest? Yes, it does.

We are all constantly trying to portray ourselves in the way that we want to be seen. At the risk of generalising; we all do this. Even people who say the do not care about how they are perceived are guilty. 

If these people that supposedly don’t care about how they are presented actually don’t care then they wouldn’t even bother telling people. By making it known to people that they don’t care how they are perceived, they are essentially telling people that they do care. In saying so, they are presenting themselves in the way the obviously want to be seen, as a slovenly, possibly rebellious and most likely unemployed lay-about.

Brits doesn't look to comfortable here

Marshall discuses a comfortability with surveillance as being one of the major players in the growth of the specular economy. There is no way that any celebrity likes to have a camera in their face when they leave a restaurant, a gym or simply go for a walk with their dog, would you like it if I did it to you Mr Marshall? Comfortable are you?

I understand he is referring to the concept of social media and whatnot acting as a surveillance tool but even that is rubbish. People can actively manage what goes on their sites and who can view them etc. If you don’t like what people are saying, leave. Listen carefully, Charlotte Dawson.

That being said, without surveillance we wouldn't have found Kim Kardashian. She is the prime example of this. If someone can please enlighten me as to why we should care about her that would be great. As far as i can work out, the media tells us to care, so we do.

Lets not forget what made her famous though.....

References:

Marshall, D 2010, ‘The Specular Economy’, Society, vol. 47, no. 6, p. 498-502, retrieved 28 August, Ebsco database.

ALC215 Week 8 Lecture 2012, iLecture, Deakin University, 28 August, retrieved 5 September 2012, <https://d2l.deakin.edu.au/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=31220&tId=1637655>