Blog Post #2: How Newer Forms Televisual Technology Can Be Dangerous Rather Than Emancipatory

Raymond McKenna

CCS 313

Blog Post #2

October 21st, 2014

How Newer Forms Televisual Technology Can Be Dangerous Rather Than Emancipatory

        In an article written by James Vincent, entitled “Facebook, Twitter and YouTube told to 'automatically' hand over Isis terrorists' data” published by The Independent, Vincent explains how the government of the United Kingdom is asking social networking and technology sites to hand over information regarding extremists and the propaganda they post online (Vincent). Such content includes “bomb-making” instructional videos and “direct calls to launch terror attacks,” through mediums such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube (Vincent). One of the main issues regarding this is the nature of consumer produced media, and the laws, or lack their of regarding such content, and how those who provide the means of productions should deal with these consumer/producers when the content of their productions threatens the general public with danger. Additionally, the ability for any consumer to have the means to easy and cheap production and distribution methods provides many positive benefits to the general public, but comes with its own issues when in the wrong hands. For example, in addition to the ability for individuals to disseminate information regarding putting people in danger as mentioned above, recently there have been a few videos posted online depicting members of ISIS beheading westerners, particularly journalists, in the name of their cause, in an attempt to gain support for their cause.

        Some of the events present in this article are related to concepts shared by Hans Magnus Enzenberger is his piece “Constituents of a Theory of Media,” but also exhibit a particular reason why Enzenberger’s piece exhibits faults in its execution, possibly because it was written at a time prior to the rise of extremist groups such as ISIS in tandem with the highly consumer driven production nature of the internet, particularly video services such as Youtube. But it is nonetheless an important perspective to analyze the article from as it provides a perspective on televisual technology and it's emancipatory potential that is closely mirrored in the technology of the Internet. Enzenberger focuses on how the ideal televisual technology will allow anyone to "become a producer" (Enzenberger 107). He talks about how this is an important aspect to allowing the lower classes to overcome the bourgeois, and provides a socialist strategy for media (Enzenberger 109). But in doing so, he fails to address how such a strategy can be distorted, by terrorist and dangerous organization such as ISIS, utilizing an emancipatory medium such as Internet televisual technologies like YouTube to share messages and violence. Where Enzenberger was correct was in two ways regarding the properties and use of the new media. First of all, he explains that "the new media are oriented towards action, not contemplation" (Enzenberger 106). The use of new televisual media as outlined in the story about ISIS confirms this idea because ISIS does not only utilize new media to disseminate ideology, but more importantly, they use it actively to put fear into those they oppose and call others who share similar beliefs to take action.  He also explains that, "the media are felt to be an immense threatening power; because for the first time they present a basic challenge to bourgeois culture" (Enzenberger 102). Now although he is correct in the sense that the growth of televisual media produced by the non-bourgeois is threatening the bourgeois, he does not mention that the same media can be used by others to threaten physical violence, or disseminate violent rhetoric against anyone. Thus the article seems to support particular concepts presented in Enzenberger's piece, specifically regarding new televisual medias ability to turn the lower class into producers, but severely suffers as it fails to acknowledge the dangers of allowing consumers and others to become producers, like those presented in the article about ISIS.

Works Cited

Enzensberger, Hans Magnus, and Michael Roloff. "Constituents of a Theory of the Media." The consciousness industry; on literature, politics and the media.. New York: Seabury Press, 1974. 95-128. Print.

Vincent, James. "Facebook, Twitter and YouTube told to 'automatically' hand over Isis terrorists' data." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 20 Oct. 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/uk-government-will-ask-twitter-and-youtube-to-automatically-hand-over-isis-extremists-data-9805710.html>.