In this paper S. ren Kierkegaard’s “Two ages” is analysed as an example of early modern media criticism. Existentialist thinkers have dealt with the authenticity of the self, and the ideal of staying true to the uniqueness of one’s own being in spite of societal or cultural obstacles. Media has often been seen as a part of the increasingly artificial landscape of modern society. For Kierkegaard, however, the criticism of media had a clearly religious dimension. There is an intimate link between his objections to the Christianityof his time and his criticism of the emerging mediascape of the nineteenth century. Kierkegaard disliked the press because it offered a shortcut to forming own opinions by presenting readymade thoughts and shallow entertainment instead of helping people in facing reality. The media offered escape from reality into fiction, from personal experiences into someone else’s and as a consequence, was a threat to religious life. He saw media as an intervening agency, blocking people’s way to true experiences, authenticity and, ultimately, God.