Daniel Boorstin’s book The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America explores illusions in American media, society, and politics, and how these illusions are simultaneously an effect of and affected by extravagant expectations. He argues that contrived, publicity-based “pseudo-events” satiate audiences’ extravagant expectations, but create “a world where fantasy is more real than reality, where the image has more dignity than its original.” (37). America’s “Graphic Revolution” instigated pseudo-events, Boorstin argues, and due to competing media, “News gathering turned into news making.” (14). He claims that extravagant expectations have bred a partiality for illusions that plague American society, particularly American tourism. Boorstin argues that travelers once sought authentic experiences but increased expectations made travel “diluted, contrived, [and] prefabricated,” as the American tourist “has come to expect both more strangeness and more familiarity than the world naturally offers.” (79). He claims that the tourist “demand[s] that the whole world be made a stage for pseudo-events” (80), and it has, with tourist attractions. Boorstin’s analysis articulates thoughts and feelings I’ve experienced in my travels. These perspectives make me crave a unique, authentic experience in Paris, and I’m thankful we will focus on this. I look forward to an in-depth analysis of popular tourist attractions throughout France with an emphasis on history and media depiction. The Eiffel Tower is more than a backdrop for the perfect Instagram post but is a historical monument that was long considered a scar on the face of Paris. Traveling to Paris with this program will allow me to view our experiences through a lens of media literacy and ethics, hopefully destroying exaggerated expectations in the process. Boorstin’s arguments led me to believe that Paris, one of the most visited cities in the world, is full of pseudo-event tourist attractions. While this may be true, the Eiffel Tower is not inherently a stage to satisfy exaggerated expectations. It just needs to be seen through the right lens.
