ABSTRACT
The article focus on the phenomena of the ‘radical change’ (transformation) within culture brought by new ICT technologies, associated with the information and communication revolution, that have impacted not only the culture itself but also economic, social and political sphere, thus evoking the effect of synergy and convergence difficult to predict. Of course each era has its own revolutions and more or less radical changes, but the core of postmodern world we live is characterised mainly by the process of communication and culture directly mediated through digital technology, leading to the creation of new symbolic environment: virtual reality or real virtuality (often referred in terms of a third place ‘in between’ : real and virtual, human (homo sapiens) and technology (AI), individual and collective). Critical analysis of the defined phenomena implies the need of interdisciplinary approach based on the comparative methodology, both from the point view of theoretical discourses as well as more empirical approach, as the outlined theme moves ‘in between’ new technologies (informational or new media sciences), economy, culture and social relations (economics, humanities and sociology), not to mentioned the growing interdependence and complexity within so called third wave of globalization (ICT revolution, demography and contemporary crisis). Taking into account that this phenomena is based on more and more interrelated and interdependent processes of ‘unintended consequences’ as a result of inherent complexity of contemporary world, the first part of the article focus on the broader context of the assumed ‘radical change’ (transformation) described by many scientific disciplines, bringing the interdisciplinary context necessary to understand this phenomena. Second part focus mainly of the impact of new technologies upon ‘radical transformation’ of culture, trying to fully described and understand both the direct and indirect results, from the perspective of espitemological, axiological and institutional approach, necessary for more comprehensive analysis of the phenomena of ‘radical transformation’ of culture. Third part is the endeavour of further reflection upon more or less direct result of this ‘radical transformation’ of culture (culture of virtual reality or/and real virtuality), referring to Baudrillard’s term of simulacra and simulation -the ‘precession of simulacra’- enhanced multiplication of signs and images reaching such an intensity, that only further exacerbated process of simulacra-sation, thus blurring of the boundaries between the real, semiotic and symbolic, with no real verification possible. The core element (novelty) is the attempt to fully grasp this phenomena of ‘new culture emerging’: by defining and understanding this process ‘in between’ real and virtual (culture), not only as usual from the technological, but also from the cultural, sociological, economical, not to mention the philosophical (ontological) perspective.
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