attracts, then ‘unreality’ seems to be a more extreme case, as is
demonstrated by the multitude of labels that it receives: virtuality, fiction,
dreams, invention or simply ‘not real’. ‘Unreality’ is therefore everything
that is not real, a concept without boundaries defined in opposition to
something abstract. It is surely not possible to mention one of these terms
without involving its inverse and thus invoking the weak line that separates
the two. Crucially for this thesis, technology has blurred this indistinct line
further and consequently transformed and fused the nature of both concepts,
creating spaces such as Virtual Reality or Cyberspace in which both notions
can coexist. Precisely the confusion of reality and unreality is therefore an
intrinsic element of the dependent relationship of these ambiguous, fluid
concepts. The confusion between both can certainly be explained as an
involuntary disorientation about the nature of our perception and existence
or the consequence of a specific, usually traumatic, event; but it can also
mean a voluntary escape (consciously or unconsciously), in which we play
with the ambiguity between reality and unreality to intervene in the
knowledge of certain facts. Today, technology facilitates and produces both
states. Thus, although the perception of reality and the confusion with
unreality are modulated by (further fluid) cultural, educational, social,
ideological, political and economic factors, the confusion of reality and
unreality takes place frequently and tangibly in our daily lives: the
introduction of virtuality and digital media in our society through
videogames, films and televisual products has been decisive in this
phenomenon, playing a fundamental role in the creation of alternative
(un)realities and exacerbating the confusion of reality and unreality.
The wide use of the Internet, providing us with an incredible amount of
information, means that, in many situations, what we should and should not
believe is extremely disconcerting to us. Such technology has not only
changed and hidden the sources of information; it has also multiplied them
and facilitated the expression and communication of individuals across the
globe. As a result, personal identity has been exposed to old and new crises.
The election of a different identity through means such as the Internet,
videogames or Virtual Reality can produce an enormous and uncontrollable
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