Results tagged “The Precession of Simulacra” from NoMuse

In his essay "Simulacra and Simulation" (1981), Jean Baudrillard (1929) writes of "the implosion of meaning" (p31). This implosion is the blurring of reality and illusion to the point where it becomes impossible to disentangle one from the other. The Wachowski Brothers' (Laurence 1965, Andrew 1967) film "The Matrix" (1999) exemplifies this concept. In the beginning of the film, the character of Thomas Anderson/Neo suspects there is something more to his world than appears on the surface. He does not, however, realize the scope of the simulation in which he exists. Because his Thomas Anderson persona exists solely within the construct of the simulation, there is no way for him to differentiate between what is "real" and what is simulation.

Baudrillard posits the implosion of meaning in our reality creates a situation in which it is impossible to determine what is real and what is a copy/simulacrum/illusion. We exist in a series of perpetual presents devoid of any real history or past. The scope of "real" is confined to those elements that are visible, but the gap between subject and object, sign and referent has collapsed leaving only surfaces. Even once Neo has been extracted from his interface to the matrix and becomes conscious of the dichotomy, Morpheus must remind him of the unreality of the surfaces of the computer training programs, "You think that's air you're breathing now?"

Television is particularly indicative of this implosion of meaning. Advertisements are crafted in the guise of news segments, narrative film/music videos, or echoes of "reality". This surface veneer insidiously wriggles into our minds by way of a backdoor, suggesting the need for the commodities being hawked. Where one watching television previously left the room during the two minute intermissions, one becomes less able to determine where the narrative stops and the advertisement begins. The gap between the two has been collapsed.

Further, television reality is transfigured in real time. Technology has evolved to a point where the proof of the eye can no longer be trusted. Advertisers not paying for the television's coverage of their commodities during "live" events find their banners and billboards replaced with television friendly replicants. This real time replacement of reality with a simulation of reality makes the simulation more "real" as it obliterates reality and leaves only the simulacrum visible.

Another television illustration is the scourge of reality shows wherein the makers purport to capture reality. However, what the viewer receives is a watered down, completely mediated, fictionalization of reality. The audience is not subjected to a reality where an hour is 60 minutes but where an hour is no more than 60 seconds. Nor can reality be truly captured when a situation is transformed from its natural state to a production state where events can be captured on video. Even the editing of the raw video strips, streamlines, and simplifies actual experience leaving the predigested pulp of a "reality" devoid of content and custom designed for the lowest common denominator.