I asked Chat GPT for a brief definition of hypernormalization and this was its response:
Hypernormalization is a term used to describe a condition in which a false or surreal version of reality becomes so pervasive and accepted that it is treated as normal, even by those who know it is not. Over time, people become unable or unwilling to challenge this distorted version of reality, perpetuating its dominance. The term is closely associated with late-stage bureaucratic or authoritarian societies where the official narrative becomes increasingly divorced from reality, yet no one seems able to oppose or escape it.
The term "hypernormalization" was first introduced by Alexei Yurchak, a Russian-American anthropologist, in his 2006 book Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More: The Last Soviet Generation. Yurchak used the term to describe the paradox of late Soviet society, where the state's ideological systems had become hollow and disbelieved by nearly everyone, including the leaders themselves, but still functioned as if they were real.
Life carried on under these fictions because no one knew how to operate outside of them. The idea was that the system was “so normal, it became hypernormal," a kind of exaggerated, deadpan pretense that nobody really believed, but no one dared to abandon.
The term gained wider recognition with the release of the 2016 documentary "Hypernormalisation" by Adam Curtis, a British filmmaker known for his intellectual and experimental documentaries. Curtis expanded the concept to include modern Western societies, arguing that governments, corporations and the media had created increasingly simplified and manipulated narratives of the world to maintain control and stability.
These narratives, though disconnected from complex global realities, became accepted because alternatives were either absent or discredited. His documentary weaves through events from the 1970s to the 2010s, including Middle Eastern politics, U.S. foreign policy and the rise of technology, suggesting that the public now lives in a "hypernormal" state.
Core Themes of Hypernormalization
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Disconnection from reality
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Resignation and passivity
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Simulacra and control
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Staged politics and media
Related Concepts
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Simulacra and simulation
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Post-truth politics
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False consciousness
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Manufacturing consent
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Cognitive dissonance
Want to learn more about hypernormalization and its related themes? Check out these books and online resources to learn more.
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