OUCA501 - Cybernetics

Howard Gossage's "Cybernetics 101; Advertising Module"
...in which everything to do with advertising and the consumer should be like an information loops. There should be constant communication where feedback is given back and forth by the consumer to the advertiser.

Jeff Goodby;(on Gossage) "I think he wanted to use media to connect with people and hear what they had to say and to tell them things, and to have a conversation with them instead of talk at them."(pg.61)

Example of cybernetics:
Spar - Mumbai, India;
Spar placed artificial clams on a beach to interact with consumers. When the clams are opened, the audience can read a text inside saying: "Looking for seafood? Spars seafood festival".



Bibliography:
Harrison, S. (Author) Changing the World is the Only Fit Work for a Grown Man (2012) AdWorld Press.

Murano, G. (2009) Another 16 Creative Ads in Unusual Places [Online] http://www.oddee.com/item_96672.aspx

OUCA501 - Panopticism

Panopticism
- Michel Foucault
(Visual Culture - Evans & Hall)

Part (a):

1. What is the major effect of the Panopticon?
Essentially to sustain a role of power through the idea of being constantly under surveillance; "Hence the major effect of the Panopticon; to induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility, that assures the automatic functioning of power."(pg.65) 


2. How does the architecture [institution] create and sustain a power relation independent of the person who exercises it?
The watching tower in the middle of the Panopticon allows the observer to watch but to never be seen. It's unverifiable as to whether they are always watching or not. The observer has no identity causing a "...disindividualised" power. "Unverifiable: the inmate must never know whether he is being looked at...in the central tower, one sees everything without ever being seen."(pg.65)

3. In what way is the Panopticon efficient?
By causing individuals to believe that they are constantly being watched, you begin to place them in a state of mind where they begin to watch themselves - they begin to monitor their own behaviour. This is effective in not having to use excess force or punishment which we use within many of our institutions currently; "...no more bars, no more chains, no more heavy locks...he who is subjected...to visibility, and who knows it, assumes responsibility for the constraints of power...he becomes the principle of his own subjection...perpetual victory that avoids any physical confrontation and which is always decided in advance."(pg.66)

4. How does the Panopticism do the work of a naturalist [scientist]?
It can be applied to other institutions - schools, hospitals, work offices etc. in which natural scientists can observe the differences in behavioural patterns between individuals; "It makes it possible to draw up differences, among patients...to observe the symptoms of each individual...schoolchildren...to observe performances...to distinguish 'laziness and stubbornness'...workers...possible to note the aptitudes of each worker...to calculate their wages."(pg.66)

5. In what ways was the Panopticon a laboratory?
"...it could be used as a machine to carry out experiments..."(pg.67) on how individuals would behave if told different views or theories. Example - using "different systems of thought; making certain children believe that two and two do not make four or that the moon is a cheese..." and placing them together at a later date to watch their discussions. (In terms of psychological experimentation, however, this may be seen as highly unethical.)

6. List the conditions in which Panopticism strengthens power?
"It does this in several ways...can reduce the number of those who exercise it, while increasing the number of those on whom it is exercised...possible to intervene at any moment...the constant pressure acts even before the offences, mistakes or crimes have been committed...[although] it never intervenes...without any physical instrument other than architecture and geometry, it acts directly on individuals; it gives 'power of mind over mind'...more intense; it assures its own economy...its efficacity by its...continuous functioning...automatic mechanisms...'a great and new instrument of government...great strength it is capable of giving to any institution..."(pg.68)

7. According to Julius, how is the Panoptic principle particularly useful in a society made of private individuals and the state?
It could be applied incredibly quickly in today's society as we are already individualised and separated. In an "...ever growing influence of state..." we are already under intense surveillance; "Our society is one not of spectacle, but of surveillance..."(pg.69)

8. Also according to Julius, rather than suppress the individual, what effect does the panoptic principle have?
"...it is not that the beautiful totality of the individual is amputated, repressed, altered by our social order, it is rather that the individual is carefully fabricated in it...we are part of it's mechanism."(pg.70). We will essentially begin to conform, much like the way we conform to the power of social media - it is consensual to join, but may be harder to leave as we put more and more information about ourselves on to it (Panopticon - we are being constantly watched, in this case, by our online 'friends'.)

Part (b):
Do you think social media increases the tendency for the exercise of power through surveillance? 

Social media, such as Facebook, may be one of the biggest culprits at exercising power through surveillance. Using this for profit by selling individuals information to other companies (this is known as 'big data'), software is essentially beginning to watch over people. As stated in question 8 (above), it is consensual to create a 'profile', but your permission is not necessarily needed to gather more information (there is even an option available to users to ask other individuals questions about their personal details e.g. where you originally lived, what school you attended etc. if it is not already available on their 'profile'.)

This has not been unnoticed, however, by many.
An example of this can be found by Brighton art group 'Blast Theory' who have created an app entitled "Karen". "Karen" is a fictional character that is described as "...a life coach and she is friendly. Too friendly." She psychologically profiles you as you play.


Why have they created "Karen"?:

"We’re always looking at where technology is going, and what that might mean for culture and storytelling. At the moment we are really fascinated with big data, and particularly how governments and large companies such as Facebook are collecting data on us secretly and using it without our consent. We feel it's our job as artists to pose questions about these trend. Karen pushes the boundaries of artistic apps and uses data in a way that is playful, open and fun." (Blast Theory - kickstarter.com)

Bibliography:

Evans, J. Halls, S (editors) Visual Culture: The Reader (1999) Sage Publications Ltd.

Blast Theory (2014) Karen - An App That Psychologically Profile You as You Play [Online] https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1320191398/karen-an-app-that-psychologically-profiles-you-as?ref=nav_search

OUCA501 - Creative Rhetorics/The Creative affordances of technology

What is creativity?

"Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity is characterised by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate solutions. Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing. If you have ideas, but don’t act on them, you are imaginative but not creative." (creativeartwork.com)

"The ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination." (dictionary.com)

Creative Rhetoric: The Creative affordances of technology
"If creativity is not inherent in human mental powers and is, in fact, social and
situational, then technological developments may well be linked to advances in
the creativity of individual users. This rhetoric covers a range of positions, from
those who applaud all technology as inherently improving, to those who
welcome it cautiously and see creativity as residing in an, as yet,
undertheorised relationship between contexts, users and applications"
(The Rhetorics of Creativity: A Review of the Literature. pg.71)

Screenshot of Nuji.com

A perfect example of this can be found by 2011's Emerging Talent Awards winner Vincent Thome (London) who created the site Nuji.com in which you can "...tag your favourite products in the offline world on your mobile by scanning the product barcode or simply taking a picture of it - or you can bookmark it at Nuji (in just one click). It identifies the products, helps you remember them and allows you to share and recommend the products you have found with your friends." (campaignlive.co.uk)

One of the most impressive digital/technological campaigns are for Apple Inc. In particular, the iPod Touch silhouette advertisements (as shown to the right) created in 2002. This campaign is one of the most memorable for it's links to both art and growths in digital technology (in terms of Apple products and digital media). Apple's advertisements fully embrace the idea of technological development and use it as a means of communication for the masses. As well as identifying us all as individuals (multiple songs and people were used in various versions of this particular campaign), it also seems to acknowledge how both music and technology can bring us all together.

Bibliography:
Anon (2014) What is Creativity? [Online] http://www.creativityatwork.com/2014/02/17/what-is-creativity/

Anon (N.D) Define Creativity [Online] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/creativity

Banaji, S., Burn, A. and Buckingham, D. (2006) The Rhetorics of Creativity: A Review of the Literature. Creative Partnerships Arts Council England [Online] http://www.creative-partnerships.com/literaturereviews

Harris, D. (2011) Emerging Talent Awards: The Winners [Online] http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/1095809/

OUCA501 - Identity Theory/Brand Theory

History of identity; (Kellner, 1992)

- Pre-modern identity believed that identity was stable and was defined by long standing roles (like class structure etc.) This view dates before the 19th Century.

- Modern identity - Ability to choose which path or identity (20th Century +)

- Post-modern identity - 'fragmented' and constructed.
Zygmunt Bauman (a Polish sociologist) is one of the key enforcers behind this theory, claiming that identity is both "fluid" (society constantly changes) but is then "constructed" (by institutions such as The Church, monarchy, the government etc.)
Micheal Foucalt (a French philosopher) also thought this to be true in terms of identity being formed by the discourses culturally available to us. These included, class, age, gender, nationality, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, income, education etc.

2 opposing identity theories:

1. Post-modernism (as explained above).
2. Essentialism; this is the traditional approach in the sense that identity is believed to be fixed.  Psychologist Steven Pinker applies this through neuroscience and genetics implying that the mind and identity are separate "networks of brain systems". Essentially they are two different components within our brains which means that we are not utterly free to make choices when it comes to our own identities (resulting in a loss of ego).

How can identity theory be applied to brand identity?:
According to Wally Olins (The Brand Handbook) the audience has become a new wave of "information technology" and is inviting the corporations to essentially "come out of the shadows"(pg.13) and reveal themselves through brands. This way, the corporations can show whatever culture they feel apart of and in turn create a link (or bond) with it's audience (or in some cases, be recognised even by those it is not targeting e.g. Gucci may be aimed at the upper class, and a representation of Italian fashion, but its logo has become recognised worldwide by all class systems).

What is brand identity?:
"How a business wants a brand's names, communication style, logo and other visual elements to be perceived by consumers. The components of the brand are created by the business itself, making brand identity the way in which a business wants consumers to perceive its brands, not necessarily how it is actually perceived." (Investopedia.com)

Example:
La Sierra Mexican food company.

Created by Burgeff Co.

Art director & designer: Patrick Burgeff

Brief: "La Sierra, a Mexican food brand, called for an identity to promote Mexican food for export. The logo needed to "have a Mexican flavour, both visually and literally". The solution combines Mexico's three staple ingredients - beans, corn and peppers - along with a clay pot to form a logo" (Worldwide Identity by Robert L.Peters, pg.179)

This is a successful brand identity as it was immediately recognisable as a product from Mexico (even before reading the text). It hit the brief of promoting Mexican food worldwide (as being from the UK, I instantly thought of Mexico when seeing this logo) whilst still representing La Sierra as a traditional Mexican food corporation. It also represents Mexico in the choice of tradition (the peppers, corn and beans, along with the cooking clay pot) and in the colours used - all of which are from the Mexican flag (red, white, green and black)
The culture identity has been shown through brand identity.

Bibliography;
Kellner, D. (Author) Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity and Politics between the Modern and the Post-modern (1992) Routledge, England.

Bauman, Z. (Author) Identity (2004)

Anon (N.D) Micheal Foucalt [Online] http://www.michel-foucault.com/ 

Pinker, S. (Author) The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (2003) Penguin Books, England.

Olins, W. (Author) The Brand Handbook (2008) Thames & Hudson, England.

Anon (N.D) Brand Identity Definition [Online] http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brand-identity.asp

Peters, L.R (Author) Worldwide Identity (2005) Rockport Publishers, Inc.

OUCA501 - Examples of The Gaze in advertising.

Rimmel London;
The gaze of the model is looking away. This usually gives the viewer permission to look upon her as much as they wish. Almost passive and typically 'feminine' pose with the expression on the face and placement of the hand; has seen something shocking but remains perfectly 'composed'.

Gucci perfume;

This image has a contradiction within it, in terms of the reflection and the gaze. The left reflection shows the model almost appearing to be looking at herself (once again giving permission for viewer to 'gaze' upon her). On the other hand, the right reflection is looking directly at the audience. Although this may usually symbolise confrontation, the open mouth and lowered eyebrows, suggests yet again, passivity.
(The use of reflection in The Gaze is constantly discussed as a means that if a woman is looking upon themselves, then therefore she can be looked upon).

Topman;

The very opposite of the previous advertisement appears in this male advert. Here, the viewer is directly looked at, and looked at with aggression. The facial expression and stance almost suggests that the audience has been 'caught' looking at this male, so much so, that he appears to have stopped walking in order to begin protesting against this 'uninvited' gaze.

Calvin Klein;
That is not to say that males are not exposed to The Gaze. In this instance, this male model is in a reclining position with his hand over his face. This connects with the idea of the gaze being blocked from the viewer, allowing them to look on undisturbed.

Lung Cancer Alliance;

Disruption from the two previous examples of woman and the gaze can also appear. The example given below by Lung Cancer Alliance shows a women who is uncomfortable with being looked upon. The raised head and tight lips along with the unwelcoming stance all brake the viewer from looking at her with ease.

 

OUCA501 - Summary of Jean Baudrillard's 'Simulacra and Simulation'

The Divine Irreference of Images:

- Essentially breaking down Baudrillard's views on 'dissumaltion' and 'simulation': "...dissimulate is to pretend not to have what one has. To simulate is to feign to have what one doesn't have."(pg.3)

- He then goes on to use it as an example within medicine and the army and how, if someone begins to simulate symptoms, (such as being ill  or 'crazy') that they may have not only convinced others of this, but may eventually convince themselves of these symptoms - and believe them to be true. (the gap between conscious and unconscious, 'real' and 'unreal' narrows): "...but why would simulation be at the gates of the unconscious?..."work" of the unconscious be "produced"...?." (pg.3)

Baudrillard then applies this to the topic of religion and the idea of iconography. Explaining how Iconoclasts ("a breaker or destroyer of images, especially those set up for religious veneration" - Dictionary.com) were the original 'predictors' of the simulation of the image of God and tried to stop this from occuring.

Examples of iconography being duplicated (simulacra):
     

- However, he also shines a positive light on those who continue to worship iconic images. Stating these "...icon-worshipers..." (pg.5) have the "...most adventurous..."(pg.5) minds, as although they may already know these images to "...no longer represent anything...", they still continue to
'praise' and not question the meaning behind their religious imagery as to not "...dissimulate the fact that there is nothing behind them." (they pretend to protect their faith). If the images have no story, then their faith may not be real either.

"But what if God himself can be simulated, that is to say can be reduced to the signs that constitute faith?...it is no longer itself anything but a gigantic simulacrum." - The constant replication on these iconic religious images may begin to lose the original meaning.

- 4 stages of simulacra;
First case - "good"/original
Second case - "evil"/copy
Third case - "being an appearance...sorcery"/copy of a copy
Fourth case - "no longer of the order of appearances, but of simulation"/meaning is lost.

- We begin to replace the meaning originally placed on the image with our "...lived experiences, resurrection of the figurative..." and therefore, turn this into a a panic of the "...production of the real..." in turn effecting the "...panic of material production.". Splitting the world of images into 3; "...the real...", "...the neoreal..." and "...the hyperreal".

Hypermarket and Hypercommodity:

- This chapter is looking at the way in which the hyper-markets are a smaller example of society and the rules and conventions, which it in turn tries to 'impose' on the larger, outside 'real' world.

- Baudrillard also seems to believe that it is a space that both contradicts itself and lacks any form of meaning. It is essentially a 3D depiction of simulacra. He notes this by mentioning the billboards hung around the stores that we look at by comparing them to the security cameras that watch us. Although we believe we are viewing the billboards,Baudrillard suggests that is actually us, we, the public, being viewed upon, which in some ways, then makes the cameras seem less intrusive; "...this sign can thus coexist with all the others, and even with the opposite imperative...huge billboards express by inviting you to relax...choose in completely serenity...in fact, observe and surveil you...as badly, as the "policing" television."(pg.76). They have therefore lost the meaning to "relax" you and have merged with the identity of the security surveillance to watch you. Thus, every symbol inside no longer has any relevance either, as it is constantly replaced so it has a never ending point, instead they are merely acting as "...successive signs" (much like the billboards).

- Hypermarkets are viewed as taking away from the old  "...traditional market..."(pg.77) where people came to "...rub elbows..." and instead creates a whole new section of society, which Baudrillard labels "the metro area" or "metropolitan area". Instead of making itself part of the community it has placed itself within, it stands out and controls it. He explains this by talking of how the outside of the hypermarket 'merges' with the "...highways that surround and feed it." and therefore "it is the the hypermarket that establishes an orbit along which suburbanization moves." It creates it's own social rules or 'norms' which we then unknowingly try to apply to the outside world. The hypermarket is a form of "...controlled socialization."(pg.76)

- KEY EVENT: May, 1968, France.
"In France, the May 1968 crisis escalates as a general strike spreads to factories and industries across the country, shutting down newspaper distribution, air transport, and two major railroads. By the end of the month, millions of workers were on strike, and France seemed to be on the brink of radical leftist revolution" (History.com)
These protests nearly caused the end of the factories and universities (which Baudrillard also believes are 3D representations of simulacra) and could have, in some ways maybe prevented the hypermarket; "There, a new, original violence was born in response to the orbital satellization of a model...who referential is lost."(pg.78)

The Implosion of Meaning in the Media;

- Three hypotheses:
1. "Information produces meaning" - but meaning is lost too quickly. "Antimedia"(pg.79) needs to take place to correct this.
2. "Information has nothing to do with signification" We don't need to have a meaning to everything. Like the example of the genetic code - that exists on it's own, we just add in the meaning to try and make sense of it.
3. Correlation between 1 and 2 - by not having meaning at all, it adds to loss of "...information...media and the mass media"(pg.79).

- "Information devours its own content"(pg.80) for two reasons;
1. Pretending, like an act, to create meaning within itself. We like to believe that media creates a channel of communication which therefore gives it meaning, but Baudrillard insists it doesn't. It is one circular simulacrum, in which we are lured in through emotion and therefore plant our beliefs in to; "...in each one of us, corresponds to this simulation of meaning and of communication in which this system encloses us."
2. Deconstructing the idea of the social - mass media no longer creates innovation but instead "...total entropy." It takes a medium and uses it to manipulate the real, creating a hyper-reality, where everything loses its meaning. (Using McLuhan's medium is the message as a counteract) (pg.83).

- Implosion of meaning essentially means the "...absorption of one pole into another."(pg.83). Everything is brought in on itself and is completely without any logic, reality or meaning. Distortion at a mass level. The word "implosion" however, does not signify that this will eventually come to an end, but simply that it will become so much the norm that we will no longer recognise this lack of meaning.

- Does the media control our meaning, or do we control it by simply taking it in, and ignoring it? Baudrillard is questioning whether the fascination with media comes from media itself or from us, and our ability to remain silent on the mass amount of information we take in almost daily; "This absence of a response can no longer be understood at all as a strategy of power, but as a counter-strategy of the masses themselves when they encounter power."(pg.84). He does not believe that ignoring it is a sign of us necessarily being in control, in fact, it is the very opposite, we are losing the ability to communicate, we are losing the meaning; "Thus the strategic resistance is that of the refusal of meaning and of the spoken word..."(pg.84)

Absolute Advertising, Ground-Zero Advertising:

- Advertising comes and goes, so has no deeper meaning; "...it is instantaneous and instantaneously forgotten."(pg.87) and is therefore "...the lowest form of energy of the sign."

- Talks about propaganda as one of the first worst forms of pretending to have meaning via advertising. Baudrillard states that political agenda through the form of advertising was only used as a quick way to hit many. It wasn't used to create a great advert, it was used as a "...vehicular model of the only great and veritable idea-force of this competing society; the commodity and the mark."(pg.88) - it got what it wanted, the quickest and easiest way it could.

- This then took the social in to advertising as a way of "...trying to impose..." itself as a "...trademark image."(pg.88). Advertising began to be reproduced again and again, everywhere and we, the public, the society, didn't stop it; "The social as a script, who bewildered audience we are."(pg.88)
We let it destroy the meaning behind it all; "...it does not offer signifieds in which to invest, it offers a simplified equivalence of all the formerly distinctive signs, and deters them..."(pg.89)

- However, this is not the most terrifying drive behind the loss of meaning in today's society. This, Baudrillard, places in the hands of "...the languages of computer science."(pg.89). By this he talks about how digitalisation and "cybernetic languages" are ruining the grip on true language and communication and eventually reality and meaning at a quicker and wider scale than advertising could ever have imagined possible. Seeming to suggest that this may be the end of advertising; "...that is already putting an end to the reign of advertising."

- Advertising is now the social, because it created it. If it stops being this, on the other hand, then it ceases to exist. It is now latching on to itself; "the social must be saved just as nature must be preserved; the social is our niche...it has fallen into the register of supply and demand."(pg.90)

- In order to save itself, it must re-write the languages it is using to create an illusion that it is 'empowering' the public, rather than creating it. "...with a mocking liberty, proving the social while denying it."(pg.91)

- Seduction causes saturation (Las Vegas has turned its adverts into "retro" even though Baudrillard feels that these 'deface' the architecture, and lend no support to a deeper meaning of the city - pg.91-92).

- Semiology is useless; "...That is why...it is useless to analyse advertising as a language...to which neither linguistics nor semiology corresponds...they function on...meaning..."(pg.92)

- The Forum des Halles which Baudrillard considers to be a perfect example of how our community has become consumed by advertising; "And it is something like the Forum that best illustrates what advertising has become..."(.pg.93)
(The Forum des Halles is show to the left, originally a wholesale market called Les Halles De Paris, this building was destoryed in 1971 and replaced with an underground modern shopping precinct, the Forum des Halles). He describes it as a almost 'boring' building - "Everything there is...white, black, salmon marble...in deep, snobbish, dull black.."(pg.93)


Bibliography:
Baudrillard, J. (1981) Simulacra and Simulation. Michigan: University of Michigan Press.
Anon (N.D) Iconoclast [Online] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/iconoclast.
Anon (N.D) Protests Mount in France [Online] http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/protests-mount-in-france
Anon (N.D) Les Halles [Online] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Halles

OUCA501 - Summary of Jessica Evans and Stuart Halls 'Visual Culture: The Reader'

Living in the wake of the withering signified.

- Quote; "The public does not want to know what Napoleon III said to William of Prussia. It wants to know whether he wore beige or red trousers and whether he smoked a cigar".
This immediate introduction somewhat represents what is to be said throughout the article. The public doesn't always need a story to enjoy an image.

- Talks about the exhibition held at the Photographer's Gallery near Leicester Square, London - from the 19th April to 18th May.

- Exhibition is essentially a 3D version of magazine The Face (a British fashion, culture and music magazine that could be purchased monthly. First published in 1980 by Nick Logan).

- Split into "five categories corresponding to the regular sections around which the magazine itself is structured..." (pg.107) these include Intro, Features, Style, Expo and Disinformation.

- Touches briefly on the Second World ideologies and how this in turn applies to the magazine itself; "The Face is not read so much as wandered through...a text to be 'cruised' as Barthes - a leading Second World spokesperson...used to say."

- This then leads on to a more detailed explanation of the differences between the First World and the Second World (although in this article they are labelled as "Planet One" and "Planet Two" pg. 108)
- Divides between these two 'worlds'?;
In terms of photography, the contrast seems to be around the involvement of text or the 'story' behind the image. Using examples such as John Berger (a First World critic) and the Second World People of the Post, this article shows how First World photographers believe that photos should be encased within a text "...in order to make the image 'tell' its true story." (pg.108) whereas Second World critics believe the very opposite; "...but rather to liberate the signifier from the constraints imposed upon it by the rationalist theology of 'representation'." (pg.108).

- Goes on to suggest that First World philosophy is essentially 'outdated'; "...perpetuating submission to an outmoded and disabling metaphysic." (pg.109)

- When continuing on, I think it is being suggested that the People of the Post (Second World) are potentially trying to 'undermine' the views implicated by the First World, as it seems to be saying that these opinions are more controlling than 'enlightening'; "...the Post identify the centralised source of this oppressive power...which is seen to hover like the ghost of the Father behind all First World discourse guaranteeing...the order of things." (pg.109) Therefore, the Second World is "refusing all law and demanding a subjectivity without guarantees." (pg.109)

- However, it recognises a similar theory of that written by Baudrillard - when a symbol (or in this case, a photo), is constantly reused and replicated, it beings to lose its meaning. If we no longer have a 'story' behind a photograph, it can soon find itself in a state of simulacra; "First the referent (the world outside the text) disappears. Then the signified...left in a world of...'empty' signifiers. No meaning...just a ceaseless procession of simulacra." (pg.109)
It even goes on to mention Baudrillards radical views on the state of 'reality', in which it is said that he believes that this constantly changes and "flickers". Our memories and desires always blur into one and therefore "...'we' never did exist...thus 'I' is nothing more than...an optical illusion" (pg.109) We lose touch with what is 'real'.

- There is also a paragraph between this that quickly summarises the Third World. Apparently this group believes "...we are free to serve whatever gods we choose...to play in the blank, empty spaces of now." It appears to be an option in-between the First and Second World, neither telling us to believe in a higher power or not, but simply stating that we have the right to choose our realities.

- Coming back to Baudrillard, the article begins to use an analogy for his opinion that we are just acting out what we are being told or feed by media. We are no longer in control, but we still have the chance to be...""like the heads on a video recorder, we merely translate audio and visual signs back and forth from one terminus (the tape) to another (the screen)...'by' is the unspeakable preposition...it suggests that there's still time...for intervention...somewhere left to intervene" pg.110.
If we don't do anything, on the other hand, then "...we are - all of us - merely stations on the endless, mindless journey of the signifier; a journey made by nobody to nowhere..." (pg.110)

- This is then applied to the world before and after war. ("industrial to a 'post-industrial...society") where the process of production changes along with the amount of production. Narrowing everything down again so that it is highly refined and delicate ("'etherealised'.")

- Using philosopher, Karl Marx, as another example to this theory, this article ends on the note that 'hypercapitalism' and the "capital mode of production" has "...'abstracted' production..." to a scale that has left us not questioning what is going on far further than that of Marx's previously thought out scale for the future. We are worse than he had predicted.

Bibliography:
Evans, J. Halls, S (editors) Visual Culture: The Reader (1999) Sage Publications Ltd.
Anon (2013) The Face (magazine) [Online] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Face_(magazine)