Technology As Magic: The Triumph of the Irrational - Couverture souple

Stirk, Peter M.R.

 
9780826413673: Technology As Magic: The Triumph of the Irrational
Couverture souple
ISBN 10 : 0826413676 ISBN 13 : 9780826413673
Editeur : Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd., 2001

Synopsis

What gives the mass media, particularly advertising and television, their extraordinary power over our lives, so that even the most jaded and sophisticated among us are troubled and fascinated by their allure? The secret, according to Richard Stivers, in this brilliant new book, lies in the curious relationship between technology and magic. Stivers argues the two are now related to one another in such a way that each has taken on important characteristics of the other. His contention is that our expectations for technology have become magical to the point that they have generated a multitude of imitation technologies that function as magical practices. These imitation technologies flourish in the fields of psychology, management administration, and the mass media, and their paramount purpose in human adjustment and control. Advertising and television programs, in particular, contain the key magical rituals of our civilization.In a fascinating analysis of television programming, Stivers shows how various genres--news, sports, game shows, soap operas, sitcoms, etc.--have their distinct mythological symbols. Through dramatized information, they symbolically connect consumer goods and services to desired outcomes--the utopian goals of success, happiness, and health--thus enveloping technology, both real and imitation, in a magical cocoon.

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À propos de l?auteur

Peter Stirk is a lecturer in Politics at the University of Durham. His previous books include Max Horkheimer: A New Interpretation (1992) and, as co-editor, An Introduction to Political Ideas (Pinter, 1995).

Les informations fournies dans la section « A propos du livre » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

Éditeur
Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Date d'édition
2001
Langue
anglais
ISBN 10 
0826413676
ISBN 13 
9780826413673
Reliure
Broché
Nombre de pages
256
Coordonnées du fabricant
non disponible
Personne responsable
Purmerul LTD
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