What is aura? Aura is the special feeling one experiences when witnessing or being physically part of a moment. For example, there is an aura associated with physically attending a Super Bowl where your favorite team has just won the championship. The special feeling one has inside from a sense of accomplishment, victory, and being present at the time of the championship ceremony cannot be replicated. Aura cannot be captured by a picture, a video camera, or by spoken or written words. Aura is a one-time feeling that only particular people can experience based on where they are at the time of an event or special moment.
With the rise of technology and the growing power of the media, pictures, videos, and recordings can all be posted on the Internet or television for millions to see. This spread of information hurts the sense of aura that is associated with the particular moment. In Walter Benjamin’s, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, he states, “Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be.” [1] Watching videos online or seeing images on the television does not compare with physically being a part of the moment or a first-hand witness. The media spreads videos and images with the intent on giving people the news they want to hear and creating some sort of cyber-aura. However, the aura of the moment is not and cannot be replicated through any means of media or communication.
[1] Benjamin, Walter. "Illuminations:The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction". New York, NY: Shocken Books, 1961. Print.
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