Hyperreal

Baudrillard, J. (1981, pp 1) writes, “today abstraction is no longer that of the map, the double, the mirror, or the concept. Simulation is no longer that of a territory, a referential being, or a substance. It is the generation by models of a real without origin or reality: a hyperreal. The territory no longer precedes the map, nor does it survive it. It is nevertheless the map that precedes the territory- precession of simulacra- that engenders the territory whose shred slowly rot across the extent of the map. It is real and not the map whose vestiges persist here and there in the deserts that are no longer those of the Empire, but outs. The desert of the real itself.” I think this quote could be suitable for an in depth description for Google Earth, because it’s a space where we can travel to almost any part of the world without having to physically travel. Google Earth is a three dimensional simulation of the real. To make the most of this hyperreal experience I decided to re-live my journey to secondary school, it was an odd experience and the journey brought up a lot of memories which I probably would not have remembered unless seeing the sights via Google Earth or in person. I think simulating something that is real can only do good for our memory, as we can’t always re visit places we wish to. 

what used to be my home

secondary school

Baudrillard, J. (1981) Simulacra and Simulation. Trans. by Faria Glaser, S. (1994). Reprint, Michigan: University of Michigan Press.