An Evaluation of the Debate About the Mass Media Between Hans-Magnus Enzensberger and Jean Baudrillard.
By Sadie Shine
The biggest component in the debate between Hans-Magnus Enzensberger and Jean Baudrillard is the conflict between different views on the same subject: The media. Enzensberger believes that the media is a capitalist machine used to make money in a capitalist, elitist society. He doesn’t believe in the communication side of the mass media as he believes that the media the way it is at the moment excludes and isolates the majority. This is because he believes that the forms of the media that we have at the moment are exclusive to only a few people. Without the proper education or resources it’s near impossible to access the media and communicate your ideas and points. He believes that this is down to capitalist society and in his ideas he aims to make media more accessible to the masses. Baudrillard, in comparison to this believes that the mass media, be it books, internet, television, etc is an outlet of mass communication for society. He believes that the media system is a way to bridge the gap between the producers and the consumers. Both of their ideas contradict each other except for one point where they both believe that we need to simplify our means of communication in order to communicate with the larger masses.
Enzensberger views the media in a radical Marxist way, he believes that capitalism controls the media and that they are using it not as a form of communication but as a form of capital gain. To Enzensberger, the media is an unstoppable force in terms of revolution. He thinks the only thing holding us back is the fact that the capitalists control the outlet instead of the socialists. As he says, “There is no such thing as unmanipulated writing, filming, or broadcasting. The question therefore is not whether the media are manipulated, but who manipulates them.” (Enzensberger, 1974) This means that no matter what we do the media is going to be manipulated, every form of communication is manipulated in some way, there is no way to
The biggest component in the debate between Hans-Magnus Enzensberger and Jean Baudrillard is the conflict between different views on the same subject: The media. Enzensberger believes that the media is a capitalist machine used to make money in a capitalist, elitist society. He doesn’t believe in the communication side of the mass media as he believes that the media the way it is at the moment excludes and isolates the majority. This is because he believes that the forms of the media that we have at the moment are exclusive to only a few people. Without the proper education or resources it’s near impossible to access the media and communicate your ideas and points. He believes that this is down to capitalist society and in his ideas he aims to make media more accessible to the masses. Baudrillard, in comparison to this believes that the mass media, be it books, internet, television, etc is an outlet of mass communication for society. He believes that the media system is a way to bridge the gap between the producers and the consumers. Both of their ideas contradict each other except for one point where they both believe that we need to simplify our means of communication in order to communicate with the larger masses.
Enzensberger views the media in a radical Marxist way, he believes that capitalism controls the media and that they are using it not as a form of communication but as a form of capital gain. To Enzensberger, the media is an unstoppable force in terms of revolution. He thinks the only thing holding us back is the fact that the capitalists control the outlet instead of the socialists. As he says, “There is no such thing as unmanipulated writing, filming, or broadcasting. The question therefore is not whether the media are manipulated, but who manipulates them.” (Enzensberger, 1974) This means that no matter what we do the media is going to be manipulated, every form of communication is manipulated in some way, there is no way to
Bibliography: Baudrillard, J., 1981. For a critique of the political economy of the sign. s.l.:Telo Press. Enzensberger, H.-M., 1974. The Consciousness Industry; On literature, politics and media. s.l.: The Seabury Press. Kredell, J., n.d. The Enzensberger-Baudrillard debate reexamined: Temporal models and the dialect. s.l.:Fiasco Press.