Death and Media

El texto plantea cómo las dinámicas actuales del aparato informativo han situado a la muerte (en tanto medular del contenido noticioso) en un lugar similar al que la pornografía ha dado al sexo. Es decir, en espectáculo consumista y banalizado.

PUBLICADO EN: Contratexto digital N°6; Universidad de Lima; Año 5; 2008; ISSN: 1993-4904

Death taboo is a controversial subject in society since the establishment of the science of death; thanatology, in the early 20th century. This, however, can have different meanings and shapes in relation to death in the public sphere. Various ways of communicating death have developed over the decades. In the face of a revolutionary emergence of the media in everyday life of the 21st century, death is communicated via a number of media platforms, such as television, radio, and online videos. This type of communication is underpinned by a series of dimensions, and in particular music, that shape the ‘communication message’. Music and its functional roles have been used largely in the dissemination and perceptive character of information in the wider media outlet. It is widely seen as a mean for creating emotions and ‘leading’ the sense-making process of the information that is communicated via media. This paper aims to surface an observation of the two authors on the functional role of music in communicating death in online video platforms. In particular, the example of the YouTube platform is used to identify the links between death, music and video platforms. This article is also a preliminary reference to a large-scale study of the authors on the functional roles of music in communicating death in YouTube videos. It is suggested that the role of music colours the relationship between media and death. The conclusions that are drawn in this paper are supported by the authors’ current and ongoing study and critical analyses of the usage of music in the communication of death, while future research is suggested.

In diesem Text gehen wir der Frage nach, wie sich in den letzten Jahrzehnten der mediale Umgang mit dem berauschten Tod verandert hat. Dabei dienen Beispiele eklatanten Sterbens von Personlichkeiten als Hinweise fur den Wandel des gesellschaftlichen Umgangs mit Drogen. Von der offentlichen Verdrangung des Drogentods bis hin zu dessen Heroisierung und Normalisierung zeigen wir, wie sich Wahrnehmungen schlicht epochalem Wandel anpassen.

Death taboo is a controversial subject in society since the establishment of the science of death; thanatology, in the early 20th century. This, however, can have different meanings and shapes in relation to death in the public sphere. Various ways of communicating death have developed over the decades. In the face of a revolutionary emergence of the media in everyday life of the 21st century, death is communicated via a number of media platforms, such as television, radio, and online videos. This type of communication is underpinned by a series of dimensions, and in particular music, that shape the ‘communication message’. Music and its functional roles have been used largely in the dissemination and perceptive character of information in the wider media outlet. It is widely seen as a mean for creating emotions and ‘leading’ the sense-making process of the information that is communicated via media. This paper aims to surface an observation of the two authors on the functional role...

Since the establishment of thanatology, the science of death, in the early 20th century, death has not only been considered a controversial subject, but it has also been regarded as a taboo topic. Various ways of communicating death have developed over the last few decades. With the advent of different mass and social media and their increasing impact on everyday life in the 21st century, death can now be communicated via a number of media platforms, such as television, radio, and online videos. This type of communication is underpinned by a series of dimensions, in particular music, that shape the conveyed message. Music has been extensively used in the dissemination of information in the wider media outlet. It is widely seen as a means of evoking emotions and of facilitating the process of assimilating information that is communicated via media. This paper seeks to discuss the functional role of music in communicating death in online video platforms. In particular, the example of ...