Baudrillard Representation Unit 1

2. 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

4. 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

5. • 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?

8. The effect of living in Simulacra
is……..
a distorted sense of reality
or Hyper-reality.

9. 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. 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?

14. • 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)

15. How can we use Baudrillard's ideas to understand how
the news can be exaggerated.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26YU
3nyDRK0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B63a
hmTAesM

16. • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_conflicts
• On going conflicts NOT on TV news agenda

17. 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’)

18. 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

19. Explain the damaging effect of sexual
imagery with reference to the theory of
Baudrillard.
Give an example of an over sexualised
advert explain its damaging effect.
What can be done or is being done to
challenge this?

20. •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.

21. "Life doesn't imitate Art, it
imitates bad TV"
(Woody Allen)
Original quote: Does life imitate art or does art imitate life? (Oscar wilde)

22. 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