A Word from the Editor

Abstract

The phenomenon of media violence constitutes a significant object of inquiry within contemporary humanities and social sciences, encompassing disciplines such as media studies, cultural studies, philosophy of media, visual anthropology, and sociology. In the context of symbolic violence, as conceptualized by Pierre Bourdieu, the media function as instruments of cultural domination, employed in the reproduction of power structures and hegemonic narratives that perpetuate social asymmetries.

Contemporary forms of visual, audiovisual, and aural media violence not only shape audiences’ perceptions of reality but also contribute to the production and reproduction of normative interpretative frameworks that condition the reception of violence in the public sphere. The analysis of violence in the media requires a precise distinction between real, represented, and imagined violence, leading to reflection on the imaginative strategies deployed in audiovisual communication. In this regard, the theories of biopower developed by Michel Foucault prove particularly relevant, as they suggest that media not only document reality but also participate in regulatory mechanisms governing bodies and subjectivities through the management of perceived threat, fear, and affective experience.

Visual strategies embedded in media aesthetics shape the organization of spectacles of violence and operate as mechanisms of subject control, both at the level of cultural narratives and surveillance technologies. Within the framework of Creative Industries 4.0, the media overrepresentation of violence becomes a key feature of contemporary cultural products. Advertisements, online games, films, and television series intensify the aestheticization of violence, as exemplified by phenomena such as necromarketing and the pornography of death. In this context, one may refer to the aesthetic theory of Wolfgang Welsch, who identifies the aestheticization of reality as a central mechanism shaping audience sensibilities—including through violent visual content situated at the intersection of spectacle, shock, and entertainment.

The aesthetics of shock, as noted by Susan Sontag, and the aesthetics of abjection described by Julia Kristeva, function as key instruments in capturing viewers’ attention and intensifying their affective responses. Such strategies are closely intertwined with affective capitalism, in which the management of emotions becomes foundational to the so-called attention economy. Visual and audiovisual violence thus operates not merely as a narrative element but as a mechanism for attracting and retaining the gaze, facilitating its exploitation within algorithmic systems of content distribution.

An important dimension concerns the performativity of violent media representations and their impact on the collective imaginary, cultural memory, and contemporary media aesthetics. Images of violence are not passive representations of reality; rather, they function as performative acts that generate specific emotional and behavioral responses. This performativity lies in the capacity of images to model social behavior through the repetition of visual codes of violence and their embedding within cultural discourse. In this respect, the theory of performativity and iterability of social norms proposed by Judith Butler offers a crucial interpretative framework: media violence does not merely depict behavioral patterns but actively reinforces and reproduces them across successive media contexts.

These mechanisms contribute to the internalization of specific patterns of aggression, the normalization of brutality, and the gradual erosion of empathy among audiences. Psychological research on desensitization indicates that prolonged exposure to media violence may reduce emotional responsiveness to real acts of aggression and foster the adoption of roles attributed to victims, perpetrators, or witnesses within media narratives. Studies on video games, for example, demonstrate that identification with aggressive characters may alter social perception and moral evaluation of violence.

Processes of mediatization of privacy and intimacy, in which media function as instruments of spectacular voyeurism, underscore the close relationship between symbolic violence and social technologies of surveillance and control. Phenomena such as pathological livestreaming, hate speech, and media spectacles of violence reveal structural mechanisms of power that regulate social norms and delineate the boundaries of acceptable aggressive behavior in the public sphere through audiovisual narratives.

It is also essential to reflect upon the ethical dimensions of producing and consuming violent media content. In what ways do audiovisual representations shape moral frameworks for perceiving violence? What ethical responsibilities rest upon creators, distributors, and audiences of media spectacles of violence? These questions are particularly pressing within neoliberal systems of media production, where the boundaries of accountability are frequently blurred. Media violence is not merely an aesthetic choice or narrative device; it also constitutes an element of media politics, within which fundamental conflicts over representation, censorship, and ethical norms are negotiated.

This volume represents an interdisciplinary attempt to analyze media strategies of legitimizing violence. It addresses issues such as genre and formal aesthetic conventions, mechanisms of iconic and audiovisual manipulation, and the cultural and psychological dimensions of the reception of violent content. From the perspective of research on disinformation and the corruption of media discourse, particular attention is devoted to both overt and covert mechanisms of propagating aggression, examined through examples drawn from contemporary films, video games, television series, political campaigns, and advertising. We warmly invite you to read.

/Agnieszka Ogonowska/