A2 media, theory, Baudrillard

1. MEDIA THEORIST
Baudrillard

2. What are his ideas/theory?
• Angry that the media ‘simplifies’ reality to make it more
acceptable to a mass audience.
• Believes the media ‘conspires’ with those who hold elite
power to present reality in such a way as to satisfy their
own agendas (Patriarchal)
• ordinary people want to live the extraordinary lives that
they believe is their natural right, just because the media
make life seem so easy.

3. X Factor
• Think of all those people who audition for X Factor.
• They expect to be successful, irrespective of talent
• They refuse to accept that they just aren’t very good.
• They think that the reality of fame and achievement is
within the grasp of anyone

4. Hyper reality and simulation
• hyper reality - This is the idea that the actual world we live
in and the media world we experience through TV, films,
print media are becoming increasingly blurred.
• TV is more real than the real
• Simulation - This is the idea that what is unreal becomes
more important than what is really real – film
representations of Paris
• In Baudrillard’s book ‘The Gulf War Did Not Take Place’, he
suggests that the ‘simulated’ battle that we witnessed on
CNN was so far removed from the reality of actual war that
it became unreal.

5. • Baudrillard believes life has become like virtual reality, a
videogame – a place of false realities, impressions,
entertainment, information and unreal victories and
defeats all entwined so that we cannot (or aren’t allowed)
to tell the difference.

6. To conclude
He is a French Sociology professor
He is critical of American cultural/consumer values
He would enjoy films like The Matrix and Star Trek but hate
Pop Idol or X Factor
You would use his ideas for discussing advertising, news,
video games, technology and reality TV