Reading Response: The Uncertainty of Documentarism by Hito Steyerl
• Steyerl talks about how the “unbroken belief” of the documentary form is challenged. What does Steyerl mean by this? Certain movies and films are based on a true story. How does truth inform fiction? How might fiction inform the truth?
- The challenge of the “unbroken belief” of the documentary means that the authenticity of the documentary is suspected. Nowadays, with various forms of presenting a piece of information, the documentary can be easily embellished and changed. At the same time, the public prefer more beautiful documentary instead of the ones representing reality. Therefore, the “unbroken belief” of the truth of the documentary is destroyed. Although it is a documentary, it can not reflect pure reality anymore.
- Truth informs fiction: The story of truth lays a basic foundation for the whole fiction. The authors of fiction are inspired by the truth first, and then create the plot and add some details to the whole story, which forms the fiction. As a result, fiction originates from truth.
- Fiction informs truth: Based on truth, authors reorganize the whole story under the basic frame and the main topic. The authors use their imagination to add some details or create some new plots in order to make the fiction more interesting.
• What is the significance of the authenticity and representation of the truth in the media that you consume on a daily basis? What is the role of a live broadcast?
1. The significance of the authenticity and representation of the truth in the media: As media is a place to broadcast information, the public is well influenced by it. In this case, it is important to spread the truth, otherwise, it will mislead the audience on the internet. As the individual also can post some comments, there’s a possibility that it is fake. In this situation, the officials’ accounts are always right and trustworthy, which witnesses the significance of the representation of the truth in the media.
2. The role of a live broadcast is to spread information more quickly because it is carried out when the incident happens. Also, it reflects the truth, since it can not be changed or cut by people, compared with the corrected videos and texts. What’s more, the live broadcast interacts with the audience to the maximum extent, as a result, it has become a popular type of broadcast.