The document discusses Jean Baudrillard's concept of hyperreality and how living in a postmodern society influenced by mass media can distort our perception of reality. Baudrillard believed that media simulations of reality become so idealized that they surpass reality and influence how we see the world. This can lead to feeling that our real lives do not measure up to the artificial realities portrayed in media. The document uses examples like highly produced war coverage and advertisements to illustrate these concepts.
2. Baudrillard
Part One: Jean Baudrillard (1929-2007)
Baudrillard was a controversial Philosopher
whose main ideas and concepts have been
used to understand the effect of living in a
Postmodern environment on our
perceptions of reality.
His most important book "Simulacra and
Simulations" became the basis of the Matrix
films
Simulations and Simulacra
Hyperreality
3. Baudrillard cont.
• The effect of Postmodernism on the Audience can be extensive and can alter
our perceptions of the media and reality as the media and reality merge.
REALITY
HIGHTEN AND EXAGGERATE
(SIMULATE)
SIMULACRA
HYPERREALITY
4. Simulations and Simulacra
• Media represent reality and
in doing so change it to make
it more visual and fun.
• However what happens when
we start to believe that this
"Simulation" is actual reality?
5. Activity: Chinese Drawings
• You will each get told to draw an object, then
you pass it on and that person draws that
object, you pass it on again…..
7. We live in a world of simulacra and
artificialness!
8. • The effect of living in Simulacra is……..
a distorted sense of reality or Hyperreality.
9. Hyperreality
Key Term: Hyperreality
Was first described by the
Philosopher Jean Baudrillard were
he suggested that the media can
now create such idealistic
representations of reality that out
perform actual reality.
The audience is left feeling
depressed as they're own life
doesn't live up to artificial reality.
10. Baudrillard and Aspirational TV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59OJ17raqWw
• How can we see the hyperreal world of TV
advertising as a simulation of Reality?
• What effects will this have on the public?
11. Baudrillard and the Media (war)
• Baudrillard wrote an article
called "The Gulf War did not
take place" which was very
controversial.
• In it he suggests that the
Media set the agenda on the
narrative of war - the war we
saw on TV did not match real
events.
(they don’t show all truths (restricted truths) therefore
this limits knowledge/power)
12. News events = Haiti Earthquake
• How can we use Baudrillard's ideas to understand The
Haitian Earthquake?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZRJtAED8uo
newswipe haiti
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62QIIjOmJq0
newswipe season 2 ep 3
• Can you relate this to recent events such as North
Korea & Boston bombings? Similarities/differences?
13. Think of what is NOT on TV
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_conflicts
• On going conflicts NOT on TV news agenda
14. Baudrillard and Hyper-sexuality
• Watch the following news links on the recent report into
Media representations of gender.
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8538000/85
38207.stm (the whole of society is hyper-sexualized’)
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8538179.stm (children of
both genders are over-exposed to sexual imagery’)
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8537757.stm(media blamed
for sexualization of young girls’)
15. The debate = should this happen?
• Using the concept of Hyperreality apply it to the
ongoing debates of sexual imagery and children:
– Should the media represent hyper-sexual/hyper-
beauty (idealistic) representations?
• Yes? = why? – free speech, democracy, money/profit
• No? = why? – sets up false expectations/aspirations that
people cannot reach = they feel inadequate
– How can you apply Baudrillards ideas to virtual
worlds like The Sims?
16. Dove evolution advert
• Hyperreal beauty
http://www.nextnature.net/2007/03/simulacra-for-
dummies/
Simulacra for Dummies
• ….it seems appropriate to post (above website) this
movie as an ultimate “Simulacra for Dummies”. This
movie is quite known and probably already posted on
this blog. But just in case, here it is once more: the
“Evolution” movie made by Dove.
The construction of reality.
17. What does this mean?
"Life doesn't imitate Art, it
imitates bad TV"
(Woody Allen)
Original quote: Does life imitate art or does art imitate life? (Oscar wilde)
18. Summary
Baudrillard
The media presents a simulation of the world
that is artificial and hyperreal
Some audiences read the hyperreal
representation as reality - hyper-sexuality
The representation of reality is mediated
through the media - war reporting
22. Comparison of companies
dove Body shop
2013 – sketch artist idea for advert (to
show pretty/ugly……seems positive to
reflect that everyone is beautiful
BUT
Emphasis on beauty – outer
beauty/image (let’s face it – they
wouldn’t have a model with a deformity
would they?)
-no animal testing claim
-but they have animal products (crushed
bone)
