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Hyperreality is a concept inpost-structuralism that refers to the process of the evolution of notions of reality, leading to a cultural state of confusion betweensigns and symbols invented to stand in for reality, and direct perceptions ofconsensus reality.[1] Hyperreality is seen as a condition in which, because of the compression of perceptions of reality in culture and media, what is generally regarded as real and what is understood as fiction are seamlessly blended together in experiences so that there is no longer any clear distinction between where one ends and the other begins.[2]
The term was proposed by French philosopherJean Baudrillard, whosepostmodern work contributed to a scholarly tradition in the field of communication studies that speaks directly to larger social concerns. Postmodernism was established through the social turmoil of the 1960s, spurred by social movements that questioned preexisting conventions and social institutions. Through the postmodern lens, reality is viewed as a fragmented, complimentary and polysemic system with components that are produced by social and cultural activity.Social realities that constitute consensus reality are constantly produced and reproduced, changing through the extended use of signs and symbols which hence contribute to the creation of a greater hyperreality.
The postmodern semiotic concept of hyperreality was contentiously coined by Baudrillard inSimulacra and Simulation (1981).[3] Baudrillard defined "hyperreality" as "the generation by models of a real without origin or reality";[4] and his earlier bookSymbolic Exchange and Death. Hyperreality is a representation, a sign, without an original referent. According to Baudrillard, the commodities in this theoretical state do not haveuse-value as defined byKarl Marx but can be understood assigns as defined byFerdinand de Saussure.[5] He believes hyperreality goes further than confusing or blending the 'real' with the symbol which represents it; it involves creating a symbol or set of signifiers which represent something that does not actually exist, like Santa Claus. Baudrillard borrows, fromJorge Luis Borges' "On Exactitude in Science" (already borrowed fromLewis Carroll), the example of a society whosecartographers create a map so detailed that it covers the very things it wasdesigned to represent. When the empire declines, the map fades into the landscape.[6] He says that, in such a case, neither the representation nor the real remains, just the hyperreal.
Baudrillard's idea of hyperreality was heavily influenced byphenomenology,semiotics, and the philosophy ofMarshall McLuhan. Baudrillard, however, challenges McLuhan's famous statement that "the medium is the message," by suggesting that information devours its own content. He also suggested that there is a difference between the media and reality and what they represent.[6] Hyperreality is the inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality, especially in technologically advanced societies.[7] However, Baudrillard's hyperreality theory goes a step further than McLuhan's medium theory: "There is not only an implosion of the message in the medium, there is, in the same movement, the implosion of the medium itself in the real, the implosion of the medium and of the real in a sort of hyperreal nebula, in which even the definition and distinct action of the medium can no longer be determined".[8]
Italian authorUmberto Eco explores the notion of hyperreality further by suggesting that the action of hyperreality is to desire reality and in the attempt to achieve that desire, to fabricate a false reality that is to be consumed as real.[9] Linked to contemporarywestern culture, Umberto Eco andpost-structuralists would argue that in current cultures, fundamental ideals are built on desire and particularsign-systems. Temenuga Trifonova fromUniversity of California, San Diego notes,
[...]it is important to consider Baudrillard's texts as articulating anontology rather than anepistemology.[10]
Hyperreality is significant as aparadigm to explain current cultural conditions.Consumerism, because of its reliance on sign exchange value (e.g. brand X shows that one is fashionable, car Y indicates one's wealth), could be seen as a contributing factor in the creation of hyperreality or the hyperreal condition. Hyperreality tricks consciousness into detaching from any real emotional engagement, instead opting for artificial simulation, and endless reproductions of fundamentally empty appearance. Essentially (although Baudrillard himself may balk at the use of this word), fulfillment orhappiness is found through simulation and imitation of a transientsimulacrum of reality, rather than any interaction with any "real"reality.[11]
While hyperreality is not a new concept, its effects are more relevant in modern society, incorporating technological advancements like artificial intelligence, virtual reality andneurotechnology (simulated reality). This is attributed to the way it effectively captured the postmodern condition, particularly how people in the postmodern world seek stimulation by creating unreal worlds of spectacle and seduction and nothing more.[12] There are dangers to the use of hyperreality within our culture; individuals may observe and accept hyperreal images as role models when the images don't necessarily represent real physical people. This can result in a desire to strive for an unobtainable ideal, or it may lead to a lack of unimpaired role models.Daniel J. Boorstin cautions against confusing celebrity worship with hero worship, "we come dangerously close to depriving ourselves of all real models. We lose sight of the men and women who do not simply seem great because they are famous but who are famous because they are great".[13] He bemoans the loss of old heroes likeMoses,Julius Caesar andAbraham Lincoln, who did not havepublic relations (PR) agencies to construct hyperreal images of themselves.[14] The dangers of hyperreality are also facilitated by information technologies, which provide tools to dominant powers that seek to encourage it to drive consumption and materialism.[15] The danger in the pursuit of stimulation and seduction emerge not in the lack of meaning but, as Baudrillard maintained, "we are gorged with meaning and it is killing us."[16]
Hyperreality, some sources point out, may provide insights into the postmodern movement by analyzing how simulations disrupt thebinary opposition between reality andillusion but it does not address or resolve the contradictions inherent in this tension.[17]
The concepts most fundamental to hyperreality are those of simulation and the simulacrum, first conceptualized byJean Baudrillard in his bookSimulacra and Simulation. The two terms are separate entities with relational origin connections to Baudrillard's theory of hyperreality.
Simulation is characterized by a blending of 'reality' and representation, where there is no clear indication of where the former stops and the latter begins. Simulation is no longer that of a territory, a referential being, or a substance; "It is the generation by models of a real without origin or reality: a hyperreal."[18] Baudrillard suggests that simulation no longer takes place in a physical realm; it takes place within a space not categorized by physical limits i.e., within ourselves, technological simulations, etc.
Thesimulacrum is "an image without resemblance"; asGilles Deleuze summarized, it is the forsaking of "moral existence in order to enter into aesthetic existence".[19] However, Baudrillard argues that a simulacrum is not a copy of the real, but becomes—through sociocultural compression—truth in its own right.
There are four steps of hyperreal reproduction:
The concept of "hyperstition" as expounded upon by the English collectiveCybernetic Culture Research Unit generalizes the notion of hyperreality to encompass the concept of "fictional entities that make themselves real." In Nick Land's own words:[21]
Hyperstition is a positivefeedback circuit including culture as a component. It can be defined as the experimental (techno-)science ofself-fulfilling prophecies. Superstitions are merely false beliefs, but hyperstitions – by their very existence as ideas –function causally to bring about their own reality.
The concept of hyperstition is also related to the concept of "theory-fiction", in which philosophy,critical theory andpostmodern literature speculate on actual reality and engage with concepts for potentialities and virtualities. An oft-cited example of such a concept iscyberspace—originating inWilliam Gibson's 1984 novelNeuromancer—which is a concept for the convergence between virtualities and actualities.[22] By the mid-1990s, the realization of this concept had begun to emerge on a mass scale in the form of the internet.
The truth was already being called into question with the rise of media andtechnology, but with the presence of hyperreality being used most and embraced as a new technology, there are a couple of issues or consequences of hyperreality. It's difficult enough to hear something on the news and choose not to believe it, but it's quite another to see an image of an event or anything and use your empirical sense to determine whether the news is true or false, which is one of the consequences of hyperrealism.[23] The first is the possibility of various simulations being used to influence the audience, resulting in an inability to differentiate fiction from reality, which affects the overall truth value of a subject at hand. Another implication or disadvantage is the possibility of being manipulated by what we see.
The audience can interpret different messages depending on the ideology of the entity behind an image. As a result, power equates to control over the media and the people.[24] Celebrities, for example, have their photographs taken and altered so that the public can see the final result. The public then perceives celebrities based on what they have seen rather than how they truly are. It can progress to the point where celebrities appear completely different. As a result of celebrities' body modifications and editing, there has been an increase in surgeries and a decrease in self-esteem during adolescence.[25] Because the truth is threatened, a similar outcome for hyperreality is possible.
There is a strong link between media and the impact that the presence of hyperreality has on its viewers. This has shown to blur the lines between artificial realities and reality, influencing the day to day experiences of those exposed to it.[26] As hyperreality captures the inability to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality, common media outlets such as news, social media platforms, radio and television contribute to this misconception of true reality.[27] Descriptions of the impact of hyperreality can be found in popular media. They present themselves as becoming blended with reality, which influences the experience of life and truth for its viewers.
Baudrillard, likeRoland Barthes before him, explained that these impacts have a direct effect on younger generations who idolize the heroes, characters orinfluencers found on these platforms. As media is a social institution that shapes and develops its members within society, the exposure to hyperreality found within these platforms presents an everlasting effect.[28] Baudrillard concludes that exposure to hyperreality over time will lead, from the conservative perspective of the institutions themselves, to confusion and chaos, in turn leading to the destruction of identity, originality and character while ironically still being the mainstay of the institutions.
The hyperreality environment on the internet has shifted dramatically over the course of theCOVID-19 pandemic, so much so that it has an influence on theItalian Stock Exchange in 2021.[29]
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TheHollywood sign in Los Angeles, California, itself produces similar notions, but is more asymbol of a facet of hyperreality—the creation of a city with its main target being media production.[30]
BothUmberto Eco andJean Baudrillard refer toDisneyland as an example of hyperreality. Eco believes that Disneyland with its settings such asMain Street and full sized houses has been created to look "absolutely realistic", taking visitors' imagination to a "fantastic past".[31] This false reality creates an illusion and makes it more desirable for people to buy this reality. Disneyland works in a system that enables visitors to feel that technology and the created atmosphere "can give us more reality than nature can".[32] The "fake nature" of Disneyland satisfies our imagination and daydream fantasies in real life. The idea is that nothing in this world is real. Nothing is original, but all are endless copies of reality. Since we do not imagine the reality of simulations, both imagined and real are equally hyperreal, for example, the numerous simulated rides, including thesubmarine ride and theMississippi boat tour.[8] When entering Disneyland, consumers form into lines to gain access to each attraction. Then they are ordered by people with special uniforms to follow the rules, such as where to stand or where to sit. If the consumers follow each rule correctly, they can enjoy "the real thing" and see things that are not available to them outside of Disneyland's doors.[33]
