The image
by Daniel J. Boorstin · first published 1961
88% recommend13% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Explains pseudo-events, staged happenings made to be reported, and how mass-produced images shape our sense of reality. Though from 1962, it anticipates media, PR and social media; suits readers of Postman or Debord.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
First published in 1962, this book introduced the notion of “pseudo-events”—events such as press conferences and presidential debates, which are manufactured solely in order to be reported—and the contemporary definition of celebrity as “a person who is known for his well-knownness.” Since then Daniel J. Boorstin’s prophetic vision of an America inundated by its own illusions has become an essential resource for any reader who wants to distinguish the manifold deceptions of our culture from its few enduring truths.
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…saying sounds very much like how TV was once described. Calling attention to Neil Postman’s __Amusing Ourselves to Death__ is the usual rejoinder to a statement like this. But, Daniel J. Boorstin’s __The Image__[1][2], published in 1962, just about perfectly presages the outcomes of 2016 – 2017 vis-à-vis social media; I cannot commend it enough. (N.B television (especially with news shows) is also both a form…
on “2017 Was Bad for Facebook. 2018 Will Be Worse” ↗Actually I think they are being penny wise and pound foolish. Alternately, they are distracted by the new shiny. Early sources, such as this classic book https://www.amazon.com/Image-Guide-Pseudo-Events-America/dp/... frame public relations and marketing folk as cynical manipulators who don't fall for the illusions they create. The post-modern environment has had about 60 years…
on “Why can an ad break the Windows 11 desktop and taskbar?” ↗The History of Sexuality - Michel Foucault Discipline and Punish - Michel Foucault The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America - Daniel J. Boorstin These books make you look at society in a much more critical manner. The first two are difficult reads, but none the less good and referenced…
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗Great read. Reminds me of "The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America" by Daniel Boorstin.
on “Bullshit Ability as an Honest Signal of Intelligence” ↗A timeless classic. Along similar lines I'd recommend "The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-events in America", by Daniel Boorstin (former Librarian of Congress).
on “Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?” ↗Not sure if this is what you're interested in, but a friend recently recommended reading these two in tandem: "The Image" by David Boorstin, and "Palo Alto" by Malcom Harris Both offer views on the evolution of technology, but from authors with somewhat opposing viewpoints. "The Image" is particularly interesting to read…
on “Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?” ↗His moral character is the same but we have seen more of it now. This book from the early 1960s https://www.amazon.com/Image-Guide-Pseudo-Events-America/dp/... made the case that ordinary politicians would be made obsolete by celebrities, the question today is “Why did it take so long?”. In 2016 Trump showed stupendous charisma,…
on “How can Donald Trump's loss-making Truth Social be worth $9B?” ↗"The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America", by Daniel Boorstin
on “Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?” ↗Thanks, I'll check it out. Another great book from that era, outdated & pertinent @ same time, is Boorstin's 'The Image: A Guide To Psuedo-Events In America'.
on “United States of Paranoia: A growing tribe of troubled minds” ↗Before the Typographic Man became the Graphic Man. Daniel Boorstin talks about this very thing in The Image, which is a fascinating read.
on “US ranks last among 46 countries in trust in media” ↗…something but don't. They occur only to get reported on and liked or repeated in the same social media sphere. Daniel Boorstin describes that phenomenon -- which predates social media -- in his book The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. Read that instead of Twitter or Facebook to learn how pointless and manipulative social media has become in our culture. That some people may find nuggets of value…
on “Ask HN: Do you believe there's really an alternative to Twitter?” ↗…What is Apple announcing at these events? New products they are selling. That's "news" under only the saddest of definitions.* There are some great books written about this, namely Daniel Boorstin's The Image http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_event
on “Apple’s Free Ride: Why Journalists Treat Product Launches Like News” ↗If Postman strikes your fancy, another good one is "The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America" by Daniel Boorstin. http://amzn.com/0679741801
on “Aaron Swartz: The Book That Changed My Life” ↗"The Image" by Daniel Boorstin. It's kind of about what living in a world of mass-produced images does to our sense of space, time and reality. So much of our experience is of things that were created by other people…
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗Good books to read on the subject: 1) Guy Debord, Society of the Spectacle 2) Daniel Boorstin, The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America 3) Jacques Elull, Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes
on “Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper (1807)” ↗