Essay - Analysis of 'The Technological Society' by Jacques Ellul in the...

Analysis of "The Technological Society" by Jacques Ellul

In the discourse, "The Technological Society," author Jacques Ellul presented an analysis of ***** present trends that dominate and are prevalent in today's technology-centric society. Ellul attempted to provide a descriptive ***** of the true nature of *****day's society, and how technologies have a significant role in promoting this new kind of social order. In his analysis ***** discussion, there were two assertions that he have *****: firstly, ***** postmodernist society is a mass society (that *****, the postmodernist man becomes ***** ***** *****)***** and secondly, that human society is gradually achieving the ultimate end ***** modern*****m, which is to make humans as an objective 'object' of ********** phenomenon of techno-centrism.

In presenting ***** first assertion, which argued that today's hum*****ity is postmodernist and mass—that is, humanity has achieved a specific level of st**********rdization. This phenomenon of 'standardization' leads to the creation of one image among *****, with each human attempting (and achieving) to become just what like others are. ***** identified advertising as one of the products of technocapitalism that helped improve ***** further develop the concept of the "mass man."

Through advertising, standardization is promoted, as more and more people engage in activities ***** consume products and services that were considered symbols of hu***** comfort. The idea of living a comfortable life, according ***** Ellul, is a universal need ***** *****mans, thus advert*****ements that aimed to project these images ***** comfortable lifestyle and living implicitly suggest ***** people must aim ***** achieve what other ***** consider to be the 'right path' towards *****, healthy living,' as he explicated in his discourse on advertising and the production of the "m*****s man":

When men feel and respond to the needs advertising creates, they ***** adhering to its ideal of life. This explains the extremely rapid *****ment, for example, of hygiene and cocktails. No one, before the advent of advertising, felt the need ***** be clean for cleanliness' sake...***** hu***** tendencies upon which advertising like this is based may ***** strikingly simpleminded, but they nonetheless represent pretty much the level ***** our modern life. Advertising offers us the ***** we have always wanted (and that ideal is certainly not a heroic way of life).

*****, in effect, became the medium through which humans are able to collectively standardize their culture, which includes their beliefs, traditions, attitudes, and lifestyle, among *****s.

***** a more philosophical level, Ellul considered the creation of a "m*****ss man" through advert*****ing signaled the advent of ***** 'objectification' ***** humans. Ellul noted this phenomenon as occurring as ***** people utilize technologies not merely as a means to achieve an end, but primarily due to its end purpose. That is, the author ***** how more people, mostly *****ers of technologies, "have become preoccupied with rediscovering a purpose or a go*****l." This ***** meant that as ***** ***** more people became immersed with technologies, society became more aware ***** technologies' capability to help human society progress socio-economically. Ellul went on ***** argue