Just like everyone else, unique

In the Horkheimer and Adorno’s Essay, The Culture Industry the authors believe that “reproduction processes are necessary that inevitably require identical needs in innumerable places to be satisfied with identical goods.” This idea takes away from the individual, and makes each of us a clog in the bigger system. Individualism is seen as a risk, and by uses the same formulas over and over again, there is no error (hypothetically speaking.) With modern digital technology, the question is posed, are we straying from this idea of thinking or are we simply fitting in with the culture industry that will be an ever continuous cycle?
Technology has created for us new forms of media, such as blogs, webcasts, video chat sessions, youtube, google, and many many more hands on user oriented programs and applications which allow us, the users, to create our own media. Creating new media, and going outside this box of culture can be debated either way. Did the industry create culture or did culture create the industry? To be honest I’m not sure. We can look at viral videos for instance, something that the user creates something spectacular posts it online and by trying something new, is a success although straying from the principals in which the essay describes. According to the essay, “freedom to choose an ideology – since ideology always reflects economic coercion – everywhere proves to be freedom to choose what is always the same.” In fact the user who thought they were making something original is simply conforming to the media, which is presented to them, and therefore the culture industry. I believe that new ideas for new types of media are few and far between, to truly separate yourself from the culture industry is in fact risky, and more than likely would not be accepted by the people as a whole. I feel like all this new media is in fact just modifications of old media recycled and repackaged to seem new. Although, not only do I encourage but am enthusiastic to see if actual new forms of media can or will be produced in our age, but like ghosts, I’ll believe it when I see it.

The Aura of Yoda

In Walter Benjamin’s essay, “The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technical Reproducibility,” Benjamin discusses the idea of an “Aura” of authenticity. The first thing that came to my mind when regarding this issue was the Jedi Master from the Star Wars films, Yoda. In the original works, including Episodes IV, V and VI, Yoda was presented in I believe his truest form, as a puppet. The “Aura” of Yoda was clear and present and could not be matched. As Yoda was reproduced later, in the prequel movies, and in figurines and in videogames, I felt as though some part of him was lost. As a puppet, you could “feel” as though he was really on the planet of Dagobah with Luke Skywalker.

Many years later, when the prequel movies were created, a newer CGI version of Yoda was produced, which made myself feel cheated, because he longer was apart of his environment but rather added in afterward. Part of Yoda’s “Aura” was lost for me, he was no longer the goofy little alien I met once on Degobah but someone completely different, because of the changes that had been made.

After the huge success of the movies, it is reasonable to assume, that merchandise would be made in order to make tons of money. This was on the part of George Lucas a fantastic idea, although a Yoda backpack (which I think is kinda awesome) and a Christmas Time Yoda (not so awesome) are mass produced for consumers, and lose the originality in which the first puppet Yoda represented.




As previously stated, puppet Yoda had an "Aura" of originality about him which was lost through reproduction and reimagining. Furthermore, Yoda presented in videogames and through Mechinima brings him to a place where I believe the creators had never imagined.


So what is Yoda now? Has his original "Aura" been lost completely? I feel as though mass production of him on so many different levels has brought him to a point where it is hard to determine what he represents anymore. Although I feel as though his "Aura" of originality may have been lost, he is still pretty amazing to me.