Hyper-reality and the digital renaissance

Read the article from Media Magazine: Hyper-reality and the digital renaissance (Dec 2009). Use our Media Magazine archive, click on MM30 and go to page 59.

Examples

-Alexander Graham Bell launched the telephone in 1876. This creation was not simply a revolution in communication systems but it also sewed the seeds of a more wide-ranging transformation about the way in which society thought about itself and culture.

-The first television sets became commercially available in the 30s and 40s, audiences embraced the new medium, inviting it into their homes to occupy pride of place in the sitting room: displacing the fire place as the focal point of domestic living.

-The Internet came about in the 1990's, heightening people’s routine use of technology in their day-to-day engagement with society and culture. 
-One of the most innovative forms of media technology today is Skype. Principally a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls over the internet.
-Social networking sites like Bebo, Facebook and MySpace embody postmodern culture.

Theories
-Bauldrillard : defined "hyperreality" as "the generation by models of a real without origin or reality;" hyperreality is a representation, a sign, without an original referent.

Positive aspects of new technology (or 'digital renaissance' )
New technology brings huge advantages such as access to a huge amount of information available at any point to any user. Moreover, the internet provides a platform for expression -which can lead to revolutionary events.
Negative aspects of new technology on audiences and society
-New technology comes with risks such as the ability to depict certain people in certain ways very easily. Also, there is an issue of privacy - with so many ordinary people having the ability to make anything they want go viral, people's security is put at risk
Wider issues and debates

-A huge concern are echo chambers which is simply where information, ideas, or beliefs are amplified or reinforced by communication and repetition inside a defined system. This concept has been created due to the way the media makes it users see what they want to see.

1) The article was written in 2009. Offer three examples of more recent social networking sites or uses of technology that support the idea of a 'digital renaissance'.

Digital renaissance refers to the massive explosion in audience’s use of information technology in the twenty-first century, from the proliferation of creative digital hardware to social networking, represents a re-birth in the way in which audiences think about society and culture in the developed world; and in this sense it could be said that we are living very much in an age that will become known as the Digital Renaissance. One prime example demonstrating this huge change in the way audiences think about society and culture is through the social media network - snapchat. Snapchat is a form of social media that encourages users to communicate predominantly through photographs; this demonstrates the alteration in the way we communicate to each other in this digital renaissance. Another good example is twitter which makes users condense their statuses to a 140 word limit. It has become a major news source because of its brevity. Finally, Instagram is another popular social media platform. It is another photo based application - again changing the way we communicate with one another.

2) How do live streaming services such as Periscope or Facebook Live fit into the idea of a 'digital renaissance'? Are these a force for good or simply a further blurring of reality?

Live streaming services fit into the 'digital renaissance' because with these live streams, there is usually a facade or exterior created by users. This is because they believe it will get them more views which will in turn blur reality. However, a positive of these services is that they are instant - they provide content to users instantly, in real-time. Another benefit is how audiences can come to together to share a mutual interest. However, a disadvantage to news institutions is how they are challenged by the instantaneous aspect of live streams.

3) How can we link the 'digital renaissance' to our case study on news? Is citizen journalism a further example of hyper-reality or is it actually making news more accurate and closer to real life?

We can link the digital renaissance to our case study on news as it is something that entirely affects the media landscape - especially the way audiences interact with the media. This, in result, hugely alters how traditional news platforms as seen and consumed. The increase in citizen journalism is an example of hyper-reality in that audiences are more likely to trust that kind of content considering its seemingly uncompromising and raw nature. However, a majority of citizen journalism is more accurate and honest. This is simply because it is filmed by 'ordinary people' - who are far less likely to be bias when reporting about stories in comparison to professional journalists.