Alexa Esqueda
Who uses language and for what purpose integrates meanings from textual worlds to construct a new hyperreality of language. One way of seeing this is by examining how collective behavior is influenced by online censorship. Though there are many different communities on TikTok, X, Reddit, and more, what is considered free speech on these platforms limits how they can differentiate and heightens tensions to the point of self-censorship. Similar to playing a video game, the more you spend playing, the more familiar you become with the rules—or how to get around them.
To Baudrillard’s point of loss of original meaning, a key example is modifying words enough to avoid being censored. Words like “unalive” and “ded” spread across multiple online communities and add new meanings–further distancing them from the unmodified words. While this way of expressing language is most prevalent in the digital space, we see in other examples of online language how it can be integrated into real life. The transition of “NPC” from being text-based to being spoken in order to communicate meaning puts it in a constant cycle of detachment from its original context. From expressing within digital constraints to assigning meanings that come from online spaces, our shared practices in groups and communities evolve with the meanings that simulate each other.
This Case Study is part of a larger essay, Simulation and Hyperreality.
