- Postmodernism in media studies has a variety of different definitions
- One aspect of postmodernism is hyperreality, which is a representation which is more real than the thing that is being represented
- What does this even mean? Reality is exaggerated, and reality is subjective. What is real and what is not is unclear.
- But in our modern world, we can take this one step further, and declare that nothing is real.
- For Jean Baudrillard, life is a simulation, i.e. a constructed version of reality. Everything we do, say and believe is based on things which are not real. What makes it more confusing is that we all realise this. We all know that social media provides us with a highly mediated world based on constructed assumptions and that newspapers utilise biased modes of address to manufacture consent. But ultimately, we go along with it because it would be so much harder to actually interrogate this.
Examples of hyperreality
- Avatar - the ‘perfect world’ of this film obsessed fans and created very intense fan relationships
- The Met Gala - the exiting extreme fashion and watching beautiful people wear insane costumes is completely at odds with events going going on in the world at the moment, for example the genocide in Gaza
- The ordinary lives of people in films are romanticised. However, the lives led by film characters are objectively unrealistic. For example, we very rarely see characters using the toilet. That would be weird and gross and would FEEL unrealistic
- The Hunger Games - the representation of poverty as something that can be overcome in exciting ways, and the representation of the ruling class as an elite, evil, group of bad guys simplifies the world in to a straightforward group of haves and have nots.
Our lives are boring, and they also make no sense. However, media products are complicated, exciting, and give our lives purpose. This is hyperreality, where the representation makes WAY more sense than the thing it is supposed to represent! So how can we refer to this complicated concept for all of the set texts in component one?
- Tide advert - the perfect picture, the perfect housewife. Beautiful, happy, and living an exciting life, this is completely different from the reality that everyone has accepted. But to admit that washing and cleaning is essentially state mandated slavery is too difficult to come to terms with
- Kiss of The Vampire - the glamorization of murder and death as something exciting and sexy presents a hyperreal and escapist mode of address to the target audience
- Super.Human - the representation of disabled people is hyperreal. The rapid fire montage editing constructs an ideology that to be disabled to to face exciting challenges
- Black Panther - the death scene presents a violent death as exciting and noble and promotes the idea that to be heroic in the face of death is the right thing
- I Daniel Blake - a heavily narrative story, where every word is relevant, and contributes to the plot. However, the film uses numerous techniques to make the film seem ‘real’, for example using cheap cameras, a complete lack of special effects, highly relatable costume, constructing a completely hyperreal mode of address
- The Daily Mirror - the highly biased news presented by this left leaning newspaper constructs a hyperreal worldview for the working class audience and reinforces their political ideologies
- The Times - the ideologies covered target a middle class audience, for example the hyperreal representation of the yoga woman on the front page asks the audience to align with the values of the newspaper. Additionally, the damning representation of Johnson reflects public opinion at the time, and reinforces the fact that newspapers will frequently change their ideology in order to minimise risk and maximise profit.
- George’s Podcast - George’s delivery is perfect and clearly edited, yet there are a range of sound effects and unconventional cuts that construct a sense of realism. The relationship of the diegesis is particularly complicated, and constructs a complicated hyperreal mode of address
- Assassin’s Creed - the idea of being an ‘assassin’ is presented as a noble and positive choice, and the representation of violence is fun and exciting. The world of AC Unity allows audiences to live out their escapist fantasies, climbing buildings and punching strangers
- Riptide - the representation of women and violence against women is represented in a hyperreal and stylish which constructs a confusing mode of address for the target audience
- Formation - Beyoncé laying on the police car creates a hyperreal representation of dissent and opposing the ideologies of the police in a way which is unlikely to cause too much controversy.
Jean Baudrillard argued that we live in a world where hyperreal representations exist which are more real than the thing that is being represented. Evaluate this postmodern theory. Make reference to the Black Mirror episode San Junipero and Les Revenants to support your answer. [30]
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| Welcome to the cleanest, quietest club in the world! |
- A perfect example of a hyperreal representation that is significantly more real and more reliable than the thing being represented occurs early in the episode, where Yorkie enters the club.
- The music is not extremely loud, but instead is at a comfortable volume which allows everyone to talk to each other in reasonable manner
- Yorkie leaves her drink unattended at the bar which not only opens her to being spiked, but also is a complete waste of money and suggests that neither of these two issues exist in this world
- Yorkie dips her hand into her pocket and is surprised and delighted to find she has money. Clear, financial poverty is no issue in this world
- Everyone is clean, attractive, and having a good time. Everybody is reasonably good at dancing, and no one is in anyone’s way
- “Don’t make me red light you’. Presumably, this refers to a way of blocking unwelcome attention in the simulation, and suggests in this world, even unwanted sexual advances can be ignored or completely removed, thus making this a perfect, hyperreal construct
- The lighting is dim, yet adequate, and allows the viewer to see every detail perfectly
- This scene is reminiscent of club scenes in 80s films and suggests that Yorkie has chosen to engage in a hyperreal fantasy of 1980s films rather than from her own memories. For Yorkie, the ultimate in reality is not her own life, but the 80s movies and music that she escaped in to. This is a perfect example of postmodernism ,and reinforces the idea that we live in a world that ultimately means nothing, and that fancy is more real than supposed reality