Dustin Buller
27 October, 2016
COMM 160
Professor Ivey
Simulacra
The
view of soft sciences and the communications field is often viewed in an illegitimate
light from the hard sciences. This position is more of a reflection of the
limitations of social science scholars’ ability to thoroughly prove a phenomena
through the classic imperial scientific method, and because of the multitude of
constantly changing variables. The different party positions both have their
valid points, but the reality is that hard and social sciences both developed
because of the existence of properties in the environment. The damning and
saving factor for social sciences, communications field of study in particular,
is that people are not rational; people react to not only what is, but what is perceived
to be. This concept is contained in the theory of simulacra. The application of
simulacra is that people often perceive the world in an irrational manner, and
an awareness of it needs to be established for individuals to understand each
other.
The
limitations of communication and the formation of the irrational view of
reality is formed from social reality construction and the intersection of
identity. This causes all of us to perceive the world in a particular manner.
The authors John T. Warren and Deanna L. Fassett wrote, “His language is
different from ours, but, whether mathematician or communication theorist,
these languages clarify how someone’s discipline, how her/his training in a
given subject matter guides his/her thinking about the world and the events and
people in it” (p.184-5). In addition, the particular manner an individual views
the world is also constantly changing. This is evident in the psychology concept
of memory reconstruction. The application of it is that individuals are
naturally constantly forgetting information, but the brain automatically fills
in the wholes with the biases that the individuals hold. This causes
individuals to view the past in unrealistic clarity to the beliefs,
assumptions, and attitudes that they are currently holding while remembering
their past. It is the combination of social reality construction, intersection
of identity, and memory reconstruction which supports the phenomena of the
simulacra.
The
lack of awareness of the phenomena of simulacra can cause barriers to effective
and ethical communication. This is a result of memory reconstruction giving
unreliable evidence and confidence to individuals’ for their agenda. This
appears to be a particular problem with advocacy since many have or create a
personal connection with the perceived victimized group. In addition, this
situation can promote unethical communication from discrimination to the perceived
member of the aggressor group. The authors John T. Warren and Deanna L. Fassett
wrote, “If we get caught up in the façade and fail to see its production, then
we might very well begin to act on a false sense of the world. If I witness the
film Bobby and do not account for the ways it has played with what really
happened, then I might repeat the lie, believing it to be true, and perpetuate
a false version of the world or, more to the point, change what counts as
truth” (p.189). The human condition appears to be a constant state of Simulacra,
and the only way to cross this barrier is to come into awareness of it and the
limitations that it imposes on all of us.
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