Baudrillard Response

The definition of real is “that of which it is possible to give an equivalent reproduction,” and taking that further, “that which is always already reproduced” is hyperreal. Baudrillard says that hyperrealism is a limitation. He goes on to say that reality doesn’t even really exist anymore; it’s dead. Now there is the principle of simulation that creates only the appearance of reality and not reality at all. I would say that reality is still a big part of our society though. We like to read fiction and watch movies that are not depictions of reality, created for the audience’s viewing pleasure. I don’t know, we also like to fantasize and imagine things because when it comes down to it, yes, reality can suck.
“The real is produced from miniaturized units, from matrices, memory banks and command models—and with these it can be reproduced an indefinite number of times. It no longer has to be rational, since it is no longer measured against some ideal or negative instance. It is nothing more than operational…no longer real at all.” Baudrillard talks about substituting signs of real for the real itself. This goes along with the use of mechanisms that are programmatic, such as Photoshop or GIMP when referring to images. It makes me think about when I use programs such as this after taking a photo that I am no longer keeping it “real.” If it was originally in color and I change it to black and white and mess with the contrast, I’m changing the image to be something different, something mechanical or imaginary. But, this doesn’t mean that the real doesn’t need to be reproduced. Photographers try to capture what is “real” when they take an image, much like in the documentary we watched.
I do think that the world of digital media and such has become more popular and is starting to infringe on our reality. That is what I believe the Disneyland reference he mentioned relates to: an imaginary world in our real world. And it is a very popular place for people to go. I guess it is not surprising that people really want to escape their “reality” though for a while, but I appreciate the real things in life that can happen, however, society may not always agree. This just reminds me of the Dove Campaigns too and how they create a beautiful image from a “regular girl.” How do we know what is real anymore?