The Marxist Criticism Of "Spectacle Society"

In the book Society of the Spectacle,Guy Debord presents a social form in which the spectacle is superior to the reality from a unique perspective.In Debord’s view,Marx’s commodity society has entered the stage of "Spectacle Society",and the production of images is far more than that of industrial society.With the rapid development of visual communication technology,The capital makes use of the value orientation of the spectacle to guide people.through hidden manipulation and fanatical pursuit of profits.On the surface,it is the spectacle that enslaves people,but in fact,it is the manipulation of capital and self enslavement of people.Guy Debord,relying on Marx’s critique of commodity fetishism,deeply reflected on the problem of spectacle alienation under the leadership of capital logic,and promoted the critical mode of spectacle fetishism.However,his understanding of Marxism is still biased,and his revolutionary strategy is obviously divorced from reality.Therefore,we need to return to Marxism and examine the whole picture of "Spectacle Society" from the perspective of modernity.Using the methods of text interpretation,the unity of logic and history,and the integration of theory with practice,this paper first combs the essence and theoretical system of the "Spectacle society" thought on the research path,then criticizes the essence of the "spectacle society" with the Marxist alienation theory as the fulcrum,and finally explores the ways to break the spectacle alienation in the Marxist perspective.So as to keenly understand and reflect on the spectacle phenomenon in the current society,and pave the way for better practice of the people centered development concept and the realization of people’s all-round and free development.Studying Guy Debord’s critical theory will help us to examine many social phenomena in the information age,be alert to hidden ideological manipulation,achieve theoretical innovation and grasp the direction of development.However,Guy Debord’s revolutionary strategy is confined to the level of literary and psychological activities,lacking feasible practical paths,and is neither thorough nor realistic.Therefore,only by basing on Marxist viewpoints and methods,starting from the text of Debord’s "Spectacle Society",analyzing the critical content of "Spectacle Society" and discussing its contemporary value,can we have a better understanding of the new trend of capitalist development and grasp the current social reality with Marxist understanding.