Manipulation, simulation, stimulation: the role of art education in the digital age

Today we lag behind the events. Reality has disappeared in the wake of the acceleration of things. Simulacra guarantee the continuation of the real. Signs that used to represent things have become drained of their meaning and there is no absolute truth, merely different versions of events or things. We now live in a world without originals and Baudrillard suggests we now must capture forms and make them relate to each other rather than liberating them. If we are to accept Baudrillard's view of the world, we must first acknowledge that consumption has become the basis of social order. This article addresses how we, as art educators, must help those we teach understand how the imagery and text of the virtual world is manipulated. By informing and educating individuals to understand these processes and products we can provide them with a clearer view of the imagined and constructed world, thereby enabling them to articulate their own visions through ever growing and changing technologies.