Economy of the Spectacle

The economic logic that underpins the Society of the Spectacle: an economic system where value is increasingly derived not from production or utility but from attention, visibility, and image circulation. In the economy of the spectacle, profit is extracted from eyeballs, clicks, shares, and engagement metrics. Brands sell not products but lifestyles; influencers monetize not skills but personas; platforms harvest not just data but the very capacity to focus. This economy rewards spectacle over substance, outrage over nuance, and virality over truth. It explains why algorithms promote extreme content, why journalism becomes entertainment, and why authentic expression often loses to performance.

Example: “The video was shallow, misleading, and designed to provoke outrage—but it got ten million views. The economy of the spectacle doesn’t reward truth; it rewards whatever holds attention longest.”

Economy of the Spectacle by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal April 20, 2026