The New Real as the New Order of the Virtual and Hyperreal Existence

Authors

  • Iva Šokičić University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5644/DIJALOG.2023.1-2.03

Keywords:

Jean Baudrillard, body, hyperreal, existence, the Internet, the “New Real”, mind, real, reality, sexuality, simulation, virtual

Abstract

The essay is an innovative and original reflection of the problematics of the 
new virtual social reality and sexuality as re-instating and reinventing the real 
as the “New Real”, written in Baudrillard’s terminology, inspired by his works 
Seduction, Simulacra and Simulation and The Transparency of Evil, Essays on 
Extreme Phenomena for rethinking and deconstructing theories of social relationships, the philosophy of the postmodern society and sexuality in terms of 
simulation and hyperreality with significant references to Lacan’s conceptual 
system in his seminars “Love and the Signifier” in his Seminar XX.
The interpretation of the “new reality”, the real and the hyperreal will make 
significant comparisons of Baudrillard and Lacan, referring to similar concepts, but understood and illustrated in a different context of Baudrillard’s philosophy of the postmodern and post-social state, simulations and technological 
virtual life and Lacan’s psychoanalytical hermeneutics of social and sexual 
relationships between signifiers.
Theories and references studied and elaborated are used to provide and elaborate the idea and thesis of deconstruction of social and sexual relations in the 
“new order”, known as the “New Normal”, equivalently named the “New Real”, 
which signifies the “Real” in both Lacan’s, but primarily Baudrillard’s sense.
The main focus is on the phenomenon of Internet interaction, its simulated 
reality, hyperreal lives formed by illusions of personal and interpersonal omnipresence, conceptualizing and designing social and sexual relations in virtual 
communication.
In the current age, it is impossible to imagine the totality of life, consisted 
of work, entertainment, social contacts and sexuality without technology and 
virtual communication and relations as the only way of living and interacting 
with others.
Virtual reality inevitable not only implies but impose virtual interpersonal 
social and sexual relations as social interaction via the screen, visual and auditive socializing and relationships, without experiencing the live visage or a 
touch of another person.

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Published

26.01.2024

Issue

Section

Articles