Simulacra/Hypermediation & Power Relations Discursive Formations Blog Post

November 13, 2022

Simulacra and Hyper-mediation- Virtual Reality 

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The recent pandemic helped give rise to a new way to pass the time alternative to the normal video game on screen. Virtual reality has become a much more immersive experience in recent history, with extremely realistic graphics and hyper-immersive gameplay. VR has become so prominent in the lives of some, one can look at this as a great example of simulacra in our present era. Big companies are even working to make the experience unlike anything other, an example being Mark Zuckerberg and his company Meta. Though this might not be the most enlightening example, the different ways people use VR can shed light on just how much we are able to create and simulate to give users a reality they can choose what to do with. Originally, the most interaction players could have is through a single screen, with a controller that is not as natural when compared to the means in which users use VR. 

Wether through immersive movies, video games, chatrooms, or open world creation, VR has provided users with numerous outlets to become fully integrated within the simulated world. Current VR video games cater to the preferred simulated reality of the player, which can come in many forms, including shooters, puzzles, adventure, hyper casual. or even user generated content, or UGC. With how much we were kept indoors during the duration of the pandemic and how little we interacted with others outside of our homes, it only makes sense that we created means of viewing other places in a personal experience right from the comfort of our homes. Chat rooms and UGC gained a lot of popularity at this time, as players were able to manipulate and control the reality around them; some examples include games where players can talk, interact, and even fight with other players dressed as an unending amount of fictional character avatars. These types of games provide players a new means of interacting with others in the virtual space. 

There are some pros and cons to VR at this stage, however. Though VR has been around for some time to the public, VR sickness is a very common occurrence,  a feeling of nausea and headaches when using the VR headsets for long periods of time. This is a common sentiment with players, which does hinder VR's capability of being a truly impressive form of simulacra. VR is also an experience that is more tailored to the wealthy, and those that can afford the luxury of being able to dive into a reality separate from their real life. Though there are these negatives, VR has provided people a glimpse into how humans will be able to truly immerse themselves in another reality in the future, which some can argue might not be the best thing for us. COVID 19 made us stay inside and forced us to distract ourselves with thee false realities this is not something we can afford to do in the future, to look the other way. 

Power Relations Criticism- Black Wall Street 

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It is sad to think about how little a majority of Americans know about the history of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The bustling town known as Black Wall Street was a center for commerce and economic growth among black people, and was supposed to be a place that was a safe haven for colored people up until its decimation in 1921. The Tulsa Race Massacre is an event regularly overlooked and ignored in our history, thanks to the purpostedul ommitance by white people. At the time in which the massacre occurred, power relations among whites and blacks were at a very fragile point. White mobs that descended on the city and burned it to the ground not only were able to get away with a lot of horrific crimes, were also supported by police who were meant to protect the people of the Greenwood district. The excessive force used against black people was apparent; jealousy, hatred, and misinformation drove white people to destroy everything black people in the district had, This was also one of the first instances of bombing of an American city by plane, ironically on a city of its own. This shows how drastic the power relations were at this time. 

This event very easily depicts the mindset of white people at the time in the South, extremely bigoted and nationalistic. The massacre started after a young black boy was accused of assaulting a young white girl, which was of course later found to be untrue. The boy was being kept in a local jail, where white mobs began to form outside, and with a visible opposition with a crowd of black people protecting the jail, violence began to erupt. Businesses were destroyed, tens of thousands were left homeless, with the total number of deaths still not exact. The complete destruction of a civilization in a somewhat modern setting, completely ignored by history. In the south, it is common for many events similar to this to be overlooked or completely ignored by school curriculum. This is because of the history of relations between blacks and whites, and with a majority of politicians in the south at the time being white, little was done to fix the damages caused by the massacre, up until the past few years. Even last couple years, mass graves from the event have been discovered, 

Greenwood was meant to be a pinnacle of black excellence in the south, however to this day there has been little education about the topic. Only last year was Oklahoma required to have it in their school's curriculum, This is akin to how little education has been provided about race issues have been discussed in the south throughout history; you aren't born racists, you're taught or it is learned. It makes sense why this event would want to be forgotten, as it is a huge and obvious stain on American history. What makes it more painful, however, is how little has been done to fix the damages caused by the event. Direct descendants to those of the event can still be tracked today, many of which are not in the best spot in their lives right now, but could have been in a much better spot had the massacre not occurred. The event occurred just over 100 years ago, but it wasn't until the last 10 years or so that the event was even being acknowledged. Education and knowledge about this subject in the proper context is important for future generations to understand, so as to not make the same mistakes as before and improve relations amongst different racial groups.