The Society of the Spectacle

An essay by the French philosopher and sociologist, first published in 1967. The book is a critical analysis of modern capitalist society, in which images and symbols increasingly supersede direct lived experience. Debord argues that in the society of the spectacle, authentic social relations are replaced by mere representations, and communication becomes a commodity. The work is regarded as foundational to critical theory and has exerted a profound influence on subsequent generations of thinkers and activists.