week 7

11/11/11.   Real simulation.

Following last week class, we started with Baudrillard’s ideas regarding how society’s methods of communication determine social relations. In addition he says that Simulacra involve denial of the concept of reality as we commonly understand it. Baudrillard argues that today there is no such thing as reality. We then noticed the way we live life through simulation of real life and how reality becomes secondary. For example, in a night out every move is recorded by pictures or videos, and it is only when these pictures or videos go on Facebook that it becomes the night out. This life style can be dangerous as it is possible to get lost between the reality and the act. Also the line between private and public life is blurred. 

What is public life and what is private life?

We also use this technology as a tool (smart phones, Ipad, etc…) to create this virtual space, to which we are constantly obliged to refer. These tools affected the way we do things and how we live and organize our lifes; time is compressed and we can achieve more in a day than before.

We than look at this famous ‘Ipad’ and it's new virtual magazine that can be purchased online. We discussed how the companies constantly try to find new ways to adapt to the needs of society, to create a more special experience but also how to market their products.

Next we looked at the Ipad’s ‘flip board app.’ which is another way of keeping up to date with this virtual life (no need to go to the shop to buy magazines and newspapers). The application could also be interesting for kids we flipped through the pages of the virtual book, Alice in Wonderland, which contains the story but also have little interactions and animated pictures “incidentally it reminds me of the pop-up books”. The menus have many options like edited versions for younger readers and other audio options. And for adult users the news and live broadcast are available to watch, yes it does indeed have it all…

In my opinion, the values and the qualities have lost their meanings as not every family can afford an Ipad and would have to find much more affordable ways to entertain, educate their kids or to keep up with current affairs. I mean what if you can’t afford Internet connection?

Looking at the notion of mobility, it is a brilliant piece of equipment to have. It allows one to be aware of many things at anytime and anywhere as long as an internet connection is available and as long as the battery lasts.

A book does not required battery and the Ipad does not provide the smell, the sound of the flickering page or even the feel of the paper on which it is printed. In my view these things should not be forgotten, as they are the very personal and physical feelings that the Ipad lacks and have as much importance as the content of a book.

So after buying the device, paying the monthly bill for the connection and purchasing the virtual book online, I am questioning whether it is really a need or just an expensive capitalistic quality of life?

Moving on from the apple achievement in challenging years of traditional culture, we talk about Appadurai’s five scapes.

Ethnoscape, technoscape, and finanscape, intervene and work in relation with each other.

Ethnoscape refers to the evolution of people across cultures and borders. Multicultural scapes with which we live, react, deal, respect and negotiate.

Technoscapes bring about new types on cultural interactions and exchanges through the power of technology, which is very closely tied with the constantly developing economy (finanscape) it has became almost a virtual scape as we actually never handle money and every transaction are done virtually.

The mediascape and ideoscape deal with the national and international creation and how image and information are used. Mediascape (radio, T.V., newspaper etc.) make the totally fabricated world we live in. Ideoscape refers to ideologies and ways of governing but it does really depend on the viewer and his personal opinions.

We realized that the population could easily create it’s own scapes like soundscape or soundmark (church bells for example) visualscapes, etc. and that various similar therm can be produced. This use of the suffix ‘scape-‘ which when combined with appropriate prefixes offers a framework to describe and examine society.