Perspectives | Key Words #8

• Hyperrealism - in art hyperrealism is a style of painting that depicts objects or environments with ridiculously accurate details. As for the hyperreality in postmodernism, it describes the inability to consciously distinguish reality from a simulation of reality.  Especially in the modern society with an exceptional technological progress those two realities are seamlessly blended together that one cannot determine where the simulation ends and where the reality starts.
• Simulation - a virtual imitation of a certain event or act for example a flight simulation which simulates the pilot flying in the sky even though he is down on the earth. Simulations can also be used to imitate/test certain outcomes of certain events which are complex to execute in reality due to unmet conditions.
• Simulacra - a simulacrum is an object, an image or even an imaginary thing that represents a person or a certain object. This term has its origin in Greek which combines the two words “simulo” which means mirror image or illusion and “simul” which translates to similar or equal. As an example a photorealistic painting of a certain landscape can be considered as a simulacrum or even a statue of a god.
• "Fake news" - "fake news" is a form of propaganda commonly seen on the internet, especially on social networks and social media where the information can easily go viral. The main purpose of fake news is to spread wrong information about a certain topic, person or a certain agency, mostly fake news is practiced in politics to win elections etc., which leads to wrong accusations of certain groups, people, agencies etc. Fake news creates an alternate reality which is mostly attention-grabbing and therefore making it appealing to a large group of people. They cannot distinguish the fake news from the real news unless they practice detailed and accurate research; this is comparable to hyperrealism in postmodernism since the individuals cannot consciously distinguish the reality from a simulation of a reality.