Simulation and simulacra deals precisely with the symbolic degradation that's being described in OP's comment, where at first the symbol refers to reality, but with timeaand the processes of contemporary culture under late capitalism it becomes so self-referential it holds no communicative value whatsoever, referencing itself rather than reality.
It's also the only Baudrillard book I've read, but it's his best known one.
One of the best super common examples of this that basically everyone can see would be Star Wars. How initially the movie was just cool, then it became a cultural touchstone and liking the movie became cool, then it became over exposed and disliking people who like the movie became cool.
Each stage of that is another level of cultural abstraction. Reaching a point of no return where there's nothing real and you can't even see the real. You bootstrap it's existence from nothing.
Is there a book of his you recommend starting with?
Simulation and simulacra deals precisely with the symbolic degradation that's being described in OP's comment, where at first the symbol refers to reality, but with timeaand the processes of contemporary culture under late capitalism it becomes so self-referential it holds no communicative value whatsoever, referencing itself rather than reality.
It's also the only Baudrillard book I've read, but it's his best known one.
One of the best super common examples of this that basically everyone can see would be Star Wars. How initially the movie was just cool, then it became a cultural touchstone and liking the movie became cool, then it became over exposed and disliking people who like the movie became cool.
Each stage of that is another level of cultural abstraction. Reaching a point of no return where there's nothing real and you can't even see the real. You bootstrap it's existence from nothing.