Reproduction in Media

In Walter Benjamins essay, he has written how mechanical reproduction changed the role of art in society during the mid-1930s. The changes from the past are still present in todays environment. The media in our environment are examples of how not much has changed. Many things in the media we consume today are not authentic. Benjamin explains how it is different to photograph a painting and photograph an action. Photographing a painting is an act of reproduction. Our media today is very reproduced. We see the same trends in our media. Paintings are an example of what Benjamin is describing. Paintings are produced and shows value from the work itself. Photographs are not the same as it is just a reproduction of another piece of art.

The prevalence of social media platform demonstrate what Benjamin describes in the essay. Many social media platforms are used to share things like photos. Apps like Instagram are shown to be used for posting pictures. Many pictures are posted and reposted. This takes away the authenticity of the pictures. Benjamin describes how the technological reproducibility of artwork changes the relation of the masses to art. Social media platforms are an example of how art is technologically reproduced all the time. We see how things are reproduced online and it impacts our thoughts about how it affects us.

One thought on “Reproduction in Media

  • December 20, 2021 at 8:50 am
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    Social media apps like instagram is great for posting pictures of things like artworks since it can make it more accessible to everyone.

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