The Integrated Spectacle: Towards Aesthetic Capitalism

Western societies have been undergoing profound changes. In this respect, the 1970s have been crucial. This article’s argument is based primarily on an analysis of a number of relevant films that followed notably Alien (1979) and Blade Runner (1982) a time after which the Western individual and his capacity to interpret and change went through a serious crisis – a crisis reflected in the individual’s inability to trust what eyes can see. 

Current change processes started in many respects with the externalization and division of corporate manufacturing stages into specialist fields and different locations premised on manufacturing flexibility. They were made possible by the reduction in transport costs and the newly available network structure of information technology. Immaterial components started to become increasingly pervasive a trend that has led to widespread aestheticization, phenomena that are particularly strong in urban metropolitan areas. Here a process of fusion is taking place with media flow. This flow does not simply constitute a contemplative aesthetic form; it actually defines certain social criteria that govern the way in which individuals can experience the world and is reliant on the consumer culture that constantly permeates it. 

Today we are able to talk about ‘integrated spectacle’ and ‘aesthetic capitalism’, that are due to these earlier processes of pervasive mediatization and aestheticization. It is a daily process that enables firms to create economic value by relying primarily on the work performed by numerous individuals: innovations, ideas and creative contributions.