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ZENODO
Preprint . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
ZENODO
Preprint . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Preprint . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Preprint . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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Polish and Perception: Synthetic Realness in AI-Mediated Culture

Authors: Jacobs, A.;

Polish and Perception: Synthetic Realness in AI-Mediated Culture

Abstract

Synthetic Realness describes a contemporary perceptual dynamic in which polished, curated, or artificially generated signals can appear more coherent or credible than unfiltered lived experience. Distinct from hyperreality (Baudrillard’s focus on simulation) or performance theory (Goffman’s analysis of social roles), Synthetic Realness focuses on how distinctions between authentic and artificial signals become less salient in everyday mediated environments. This paper, part of the Reality Drift project, examines how coherence bias and algorithmic optimization can privilege fluency and surface consistency over contextual grounding. Drawing on the Meaning Equation (Meaning = Context × Coherence), it considers how high coherence combined with reduced context may shift perceptions of credibility across AI systems, social media feeds, and institutional dashboards. Rather than treating authenticity as a fixed property, this work approaches it as a perceptual judgment shaped by optimization pressures and representational conditions in algorithmic systems. Part of Reality Drift framework (2023-2026) by A. Jacobs.

Keywords

Cultural Studies, Synthetic Realness, Cultural Distortion, digital persona, Engineered Authenticity, synthetic realness, performative identity, Philosophy of Technology, Digital Aesthetics, AI & Society, Algorithmic Coherence, Fluency Bias, Authenticity Collapse, fluency bias, algorithmic mediation, algorithmic coherence, authenticity, semiotics, Illusion of Meaning, Simulation Effect, Cognitive Science, Digital Persona, Media Theory, Semiotics, Performativity Creep

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Green