Simulacra and Simulation

Simulacra are pervasive and an inevitable part of the expansion of humanity. A simulacrum is a copy of a sign, often in a succession of copies, each losing a small piece of the original sign. Baudrillard divides simulacra into three categories. First, some simulacra are natural—direct copies of original reality. He describes these imitations as harmonious and ideal. Second, some simulacra are useful; they have a productive value. These are focused on globalization and order. Last, some simulacra are copies of the simulation. These are rooted in the saturation of information and technology, or the hyperreal. Each type of simulacra corresponds with a specific type of narrative: utopian, science fiction, or the death of narrative itself.

In the first type of reproduction, there is still some originality. A utopia is resurrected from the negation of the real. In science fiction, however, the real is reproduced, dramatized, and abstracted. In the final model, the original is completely absorbed in the implosive hyperreality. It has no connection to the real or imaginary. Humanity is unable to fully engage with science fiction as it moves into a realm of hyperreality.