Beyond the Image: On Visual Culture in the Twenty-First Century

by Alessandro Sbordoni

Today, we do not believe in images anymore. This incredulity is, in part, the product of technology. From brainrot to deepfakes, from NFTs to sloppy content, the function of the image is not representation but only the reproduction of capital.

In the twentieth century, the machine automated the hands of workers; in the twenty-first century, it automates the eyes of consumers. The conveyor belt is upgraded by scrolling. In the age of electronic reproduction, the gaze is replaced by the stare of Internet users.

Yet, as the medium is pushed to its limit by capitalism, it reverses its characteristics. Another relationship with the medium–beyond post-truth and deepfake–is designed anew into digital culture. From the Kardashians to Donald Trump, from Pepe the Frog to Paris Hilton, the nihilism of the image is trending right now. Beyond the Image is an attempt at the revaluation of visual culture in the age of video monetization and artificial intelligence. Soon enough, the same eyes that are filled with the glow of the screen are also starting to see beyond it.

112 pages, Paperback

Published December 22, 2025

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a good quote from one of Alessandro Sbordoni's books on Goodreads that goes like this:

There is a good quote from one of Jean Baudrillard's books on Goodreads that goes like this: "The media represents a world that is more real than the reality we can experience. People lose the ability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. They also begin to engage with the fantasy without realizing what it really is [...]. (Note: This quote is fake and deos not appear in Simulacra and Simulation. I tried to delete it but the system doesn't allow that because this quote has 'too many fans' lol.)" The quote itself is not real. Nevertheless, it reproduces itself (it is liked and shared) by means of its own hyperreality: the principle is not representation but reproduction. As analog technology shifts to digital technology, the principle of reality also changes accordingly.

Is the quote real? Or has it just reproduced itself by means of its own hyperreality? If you like that question you'll love this book. Read it.

Anyway, here's Beckett with Bowser:

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. I think this would definitely appeal to any fans of Mark Fisher. There are loads of interesting insights into visual and digital culture I hadn't thought about before. I particularly liked the connection made between "it's giving" in Gen Z culture to describe the vibe of an image and Heidegger’s concept of "es gibt" ("it gives").

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant analysis of images, thrash culture, and the rapidly changing world we are living in right now.