Baudrillard's "Simulacra and Simulation"

Baudrillard's "Simulacra and Simulation" explores how modern society increasingly replaces reality with symbols, images, and representations—what he calls simulacra. These simulacra distort our perception of truth, as we engage more with copies or illusions than with genuine reality. Over time, hyperreality emerges, where distinctions between reality and simulation blur, making simulations more real than the actual. This process affects our understanding of authenticity, history, and identity, suggesting that in a media-saturated world, we often experience a constructed version of reality rather than the real thing itself.