Defining Cyberaura and the Media Industry

The term "cyberaura" is an oxymoron. Similar to saying "replicated authenticity," there is an aspect present in first-hand experiences that simply cannot be recreated in cyberspace. Benjamin expresses in "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" that an aura is defined as "presence in time and space.. unique existence at the place where it happens to be" (Benjamin 220). There is nothing unique about any item found in cyberspace. News is re posted from outside sources, art shown through photos, YouTube videos of "live" performances, email and Facebook to replace face to face interaction. To truly experience the aura of anything- art, scenery, performances, people- you must be in its physical proximity; present to see, hear, feel and touch it, in its entirety. However, it would be ridiculous to say that there is no purpose to the Internet and the interaction and information sharing it enables. The decision must be consciously made that some things must be experienced secondhand as a welcome alternative to not experiencing them at all. The supposed "cyberaura" is a weaker but necessary way to meet "the desire of contemporary masses to bring things "closer" spatially and humanly... overcoming the uniqueness of every reality by accepting its reproduction" (Benjamin 223).

This reproduction process has the value of easy transfer and consumption but leads to a modern culture where the world is "infecting everything with sameness" (Adorno 94). The "Media Industry" refers to a shift from unique, individually based culture to mechanically reproduced products with no "aura" or authenticity. Adorno attributes this to the public desire to be mindlessly entertained rather than have their lives enriched and informed. They want immediate results produced rapidly for mass consumption from this industry churning out media that requires "the spectator.. need no thoughts of their own. Any logical connection presupposing mental capacity is scrupulously avoided" (Adorno 109).

Adorno, Theodor. Dialectic of Enlightenment. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2002.

Benjamin, Walter. Illuminations: The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. New York: Schocken Books, 1968.