Amusing Ourselves to Death
This is a seminal work of media criticism that examines how television and other forms of visual media have transformed the nature of public discourse.
First published in 1985, everything said in this book is even more relevant today, even thought the modern society has passed the age of television. It is as if we had not learned our lesson.
At the heart of Postman’s thesis is the idea that the medium through which content is delivered shapes the content itself. In literate societies structured around print, public discourse emphasised rationality, coherence, and argument. However, television, with its bias toward entertainment, favours spectacle, emotion, and brevity. As a result, political debate, journalism, education, and religion have all become forms of entertainment, stripped of depth and seriousness.
Reading it in today’s context is an eye-opening experience.