Candy bar Quote by J.G. Ballard
““The media landscape of the present day is a map in search of a territory. A huge volume of sensational and often toxic imagery inundates our minds, much of it fictional in content. How do we make sense of this ceaseless flow of advertising and publicity, news and entertainment, where presidential campaigns and moon voyages are presented in terms indistinguishable from the launch of a new candy bar or deodorant? What actually happens on the level of our unconscious minds when, within minutes on the same TV screen, a prime minister is assassinated, an actress makes love, an injured child is carried from a car crash? Faced with these charged events, prepackaged emotions already in place, we can only stitch together a set of emergency scenarios, just as our sleeping minds extemporize a narrative from the unrelated memories that veer through the cortical night. In the waking dream that now constitutes everyday reality, images of a blood-spattered widow, the chromium trim of a limousine windshield, the stylised glamour of a motorcade, fuse together to provide a secondary narrative with very different meanings.””
About This Quote
Source Book: “The Atrocity Exhibition” by J.G. Ballard, 1970
The constant flood of sensational media creates a fragmented reality, forcing our unconscious to stitch together disparate, emotionally charged narratives.
In simple terms: Media overload makes our minds form hasty, emotional stories from unrelated events.
Recognize and pause before accepting media‑driven narratives.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- news consumption
- social media scrolling
- political campaigning
- entertainment viewing
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does constant media exposure shape your subconscious narratives?
- What strategies help you discern truth amid sensationalism?
The metaphor may overstate the uniformity of audience reactions; individual critical thinking varies.