Jaeho Kang 
Walter Benjamin and the Media 
The Spectacle of Modernity

Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), one of the most original and
perceptive thinkers of the twentieth century, offered a unique
insight into the profound impact of the media on modern society.
Jaeho Kang’s book offers a lucid introduction to
Benjamin’s theory of the media and its continuing relevance
today.

The book provides a systematic and close reading of
Benjamin’s critical and provocative writings on the
intersection between media – from print to electronic – and modern
experience, with reference to the information industry, the urban
spectacle, and the aesthetic politics. Bringing Benjamin’s
thought into a critical constellation with contemporary media
theorists such as Marshall Mc Luhan and Jean Baudrillard, the book
helps students understand the implications of Benjamin’s work
for media studies today and how they can apply his distinctive
ideas to contemporary media culture.

Kang’s book leads to a fresh appreciation of Benjamin’s
work and new insight into critical theoretical approaches to media.
The book will be of particular interest to students and researchers
not only in media and communication studies but also in cultural
studies, film studies and social theory, who are seeking a readable
overview of Benjamin’s rich yet complex writings.

Table of Content

Acknowledgements xi

1 Introducing Dr Benjamin 1

There and Then, Here and Now 1

Figuring Benjamin 5

Configuring Benjamin 15

2 The Crisis of Communication and the Information Industry 24

Introduction 24

Storytelling and the Crisis of the Novel 26

The Newspaper and the Information Industry 38

The Intellectuals in the Age of Mass Media 50

Conclusion 62

3 Radio and Mediated Storytelling 65

Introduction 65

Towards a Critical Sociology of the Audience 68

Radio Model 74

Some Motifs for Media Pedagogy 85

Conclusion 97

4 Art and Politics in the Age of their Technological Reproducibility 100

Introduction 100

Photographic Reproducibility 102

The Media Culture of Distraction 117

Media and Democracy 129

Conclusion 147

5 The Media City: Reading The Arcades Project 150

Introduction 150

Phantasmagorias of Modernity 153

Media Spectacle and Urban Space 168

Tactility of Media Critic 193

Conclusion 198

6 Conclusion: The Actuality of Benjamin’s Media Critique 202

Notes 216

Further Reading 245

Index 251

About the author

Jaeho Kang is Lecturer in Critical Media and Cultural Studies at the Centre for Media and Film Studies, SOAS, University of London