The cinematic mode of organizing: Media and the problem of attention in organization theory

  • Authors:

  • Alexander Styhre

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Technology Management and Economics, Division of Project Management, Chalmers University of Technology, Vera Sandbergs Allé 8, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden

  • Venue:
  • Information and Organization
  • Year:
  • 2009

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Abstract

In the first half of the nineteenth century, the concept of perception was reformulated and was gradually conceived of as a contingent and subjective capacity rather than what is impersonal and therefore essentially unproblematic. In this new perspective, the concept of attention also became a source of interest for both researchers and management writers. Theories of perception and attention are closely associated with the use of media. While media have always been used in organizing, more recent digital media are producing new forms of communication and control in organization. Following [Beller, J. (2006). The cinematic mode of production: Attention economy and the society of the spectacle. Duke Hanover: Dartmouth College Press.] idea of an emerging ''cinematic mode of production'' characterized by the reliance on digital media and the visual labour of spectators as a value-adding process, the implication for organization are examined in such a perceptual regime of accumulation. The paper concludes by calling for a more detailed analysis of how media are structuring organizations in the present regime.