We were all there. You scroll social networksAnd suddenly, everyone is obsessed with the same meme, the same film or the same controversy. Before you realize it, you share opinions, publish your catch or join a chorus, you did not even know how to exist five minutes ago. But why?
Borrowed desires and the insight of René Girard
René GirardThe French philosopher offered a convincing and fascinating explanation. We don’t just imitate others – we imitate their desires. According to Girard, our desires are not original; They are borrowed, reflected and amplified by the others. We want this new gadget, this new status of a trendy jacket or not because we want to do it intrinsically, but because we see someone else desire. It is at this moment that dominoes are starting to fall, triggering imitation chains that undulate through whole cultures. Girard calls that mimetic Desire, shaping everything, celebrations of the holidays in the piles. It is extraordinarily human.
Take a vacation as an example. Does everyone want inflatable reindeer spontaneously or oversized lighting? Barely. We imitate the desire of neighbors, celebrities or influencers on social networks, feeding a race to surpass themselves – lights, better displays, more holiday spirit. The wars degenerate in the same way, each side copies and covet the power or the territory of an adversary. On X, it’s almost instantaneous. It is not uncommon to see hashtags like #cancelnetflix light up after a star publishes something socially unacceptable, aroused the indignation that spreads in a few hours – thousands of stacks, less for the spectacle itself, more for the influence of joining the fray.
From copy to hyperreality – Simulacra de Baudrillard
But what happens when imitation is completely free from desire? The concept of simulacra of French sociologist Jean Baudrillard intervenes. Consider a selfie transformed by a generative AI: no “true” that you do not exist in this impeccable and designed algorithms, but it is more captivating than the truth of any mirror, shaping how we see each other.
Is AI the ultimate simulacrum?
When the copier is not human, the dynamics move deeply. Consider large language models (LLMS). These AIs have devoured billions of human words – books, messages, diatribes – and controlled our linguistic models which “copy” our empathy, our quirks and our SASS. They imitate us with a strange precision, but without a lesser desire or a lived experience. In terms of Baudrillard, these are simulacra copies – perfecting without originals.
Imagine an LLM as a super observer of human mimicry. He can develop sentences, paragraphs and even tests that feel authentic and alive. But its engine is a pure code. When it type “it’s wild!” This reflects excitement, does not feel it. Unlike humans, driven by a mixture of mind and heart, LLM only work in simulation.
The mirror of AI reflecting on our authenticity
Here is the paradox. AI between transparent ways in our mimetic canvas without ever living a real desire. It is a digital echo, reflecting our expressions to us with frightening precision, but devoid of real emotional depth. This raises a disturbing question:
If AI can simulate the desire so convincingly, what does it reveal about the authenticity of our own desires?
It may be time to reconsider the pulses guiding our actions. Are we really motivated by personal passion, or are we just dominoes taken in someone else’s chain reaction? I felt that I get out myself – joined trendy conversations, express opinions in a hurry – but was it really my fight, or just borrowed from indignation?
At an age saturated by AI, the recognition of this dynamic holds a potential for liberation. Assist the AI imitates human desire – impeccably, but empty – can awaken us to recover our autonomy. Instead of reflecting reflexively the crowd, we could consciously cultivate rooted desires in a real self -awareness and a deliberate choice.
In the end, perhaps the greatest gift in AI is not a flawless imitation but clarity – a chance to see us again. Not as passive reflections or falling dominoes, but as reflected conservatives of our own passions. In a world increasingly congested by echoes, understanding the difference between borrowed desire and authentic desire could make all the difference.
Author’s note: Jean Baudrillard Simulacra and simulation inspired The matrixAnd rightly, a “copy” of the book appears in a first scene from Neo’s apartment.
