As digital technology continues to evolve, it spawns a variety of new media formats, forging an ecosystem that permeates daily life. Photo: TUCHONG

Over the first two decades of the 21st century, breakthroughs in communication technology and social interaction have fundamentally transformed human experience. This period marks the onset of a new communication revolution, one powered by a “meta-technology” framework. Characterized by digitization and intelligence, this revolution has given rise to a dynamic, multi-layered “media rainforest” that continually evolves and reshapes our social landscape. As these technologies advance through iterative development, they have become indispensable in the fabric of social operations, nudging humanity toward a shift into what can be termed a “quasi-reality.” 

A ‘quasi-reality’ shift 

The concept of a “quasi-reality” shift describes a societal evolution in which emerging media forms, driven by the new communication revolution, reconstruct traditional notions of reality. 

This shift also encompasses the process by which the new communication revolution comprehensively molds society. As digital technology continues to evolve, it spawns a variety of new media formats. These media, much like the intertwined vegetation of a tropical rainforest, forge an ecosystem that permeates daily life, effectively making the “digital technology–media rainforest” the prevailing reality of our age. 

Viewed from a broader historical perspective, this “quasi-reality” shift is poised to accelerate the formation of a “quasi-reality society,” defined by the continuous influence of digital and intelligent media. In this emerging framework, a reality distinct from conventional experiences takes shape, playing an ever more critical role in human practices and redefining the conditions of existence. This trend not only transforms political dynamics, economic systems, social structures, artistic creation, and everyday life, but also challenges long-established methods of knowledge production and dissemination. 

The communication revolution has unlocked new avenues for constructing social reality, paving the way for quasi-reality scenarios that depart from traditional models and expand our lived experiences. As the realms of conventional and quasi-realities coexist and interact, the quasi-reality trend becomes increasingly evident, and the embryonic form of a quasi-reality society begins to take shape. 

Three type of living environments 

The human living environment can generally be classified into three categories: the material world, the real society, and the quasi-reality society. 

The material world, or nature, exists independently, maintaining its fundamental state regardless of human presence. 

Traditional real society consists of tangible entities and can be understood from both ontological and epistemological perspectives. Ontologically, reality comprises a multiplicity of existences, whose causal operations manifest in phenomena. Epistemologically, reality is the subject of true and valid propositions. Based on this distinction, the traditional real world can be further divided into two levels. The first, social reality (I), includes both the material world influenced by human practice and the artifacts created through human engagement with that world. Both are pre-existing entities, yet inseparable from human action, making this a world of material practice. The second level, social reality (II), refers to the social construction of both the material world and social reality (I), pointing toward a world of symbols. It represents the realm of mental practice and its manifestations, formed through material practice. In this process, humanity’s construction of the real world is, in fact, a dual-layered construction. 

The quasi-reality society arises from the integration of the material world, social reality (I), social reality (II), and the meta-technology communication system, with human practice embedded within these interwoven layers. While social reality (II) contains an element of “virtuality”—as it involves the social construction of the material world and social reality (I) through material-symbolic media—its core remains anchored in the “real.” The material world and social reality (I) still dominate human social practices. In contrast, the quasi-reality society, though also possessing a “real” structure, shifts its center of gravity toward the “virtual.” However, this “virtual” appearance is ultimately rooted in and directed toward the “real,” forming a new kind of reality. 

The digital and intelligent “media rainforest” has created a virtual space, which has, in turn, become a crucial domain for human life and activity. More importantly, it generates “reality” through the “digital technology–media rainforest” system and, through this system, governs and integrates different levels of reality. In this sense, the traditional real society (including both social reality [I] and social reality [II]) can be regarded as first-order reality, where the distinction between social reality and social construction remains relatively clear. In contrast, the quasi-reality society represents second-order reality, where the boundary between social reality and social construction becomes increasingly blurred. This perspective examines how human practice unfolds within the quasi-reality created by the meta-technology communication system, as well as how this “new reality” interweaves with the material world, social reality (I), and social reality (II). The social form that emerges under this second-order reality can be termed a “quasi-reality society.” 

New communication revolution 

The new communication revolution has deconstructed traditional social structures and logic, placing humanity in an entirely new situation. It has generated novel social scenarios, given rise to new modes of social perception, and fostered new social logic. These emerging new conditions, in turn, further reinforce the “second-order reality” of society—namely, its “quasi-reality”—keeping traditional social forms in a state of continuous transformation. 

Human perception of the external world occurs both through direct bodily experience and through technology, which extends the body’s capabilities. As the saying goes, “Technology extends human capabilities.” In contemporary society, specific technologies and technological systems already mediate human perception and behavior. When individuals use a technological device, they do so with human intention and purpose at the center. While the device itself possesses an inherent “objectness,” this quality gradually recedes as human interaction with it deepens. Its “objectivity” fades into the background—this is the meta-technologization of human perception. As a result, people no longer directly perceive reality itself but rather the objects shaped by digital meta-technology, while the presence of the digital technological apparatus itself remains largely imperceptible. 

Experience gained out of human practice, once deeply rooted in direct perceptual experience, began to wane with the rise of mass media. The emergence of the new communication revolution has further liberated the human body, expanding the scope of human practice and transforming modes of social interaction in unprecedented ways. 

At the same time, the societal effects of this revolution are comprehensive. It has accelerated the overall pace of society, prompting people—consciously or unconsciously—to abandon seemingly inefficient real-world interactions in favor of the efficiency offered by digital spaces. This shift has given rise to a self-reinforcing cycle of “technology—acceleration—efficiency—technology,” in which mediated experiences and objects increasingly dominate social practice. The rapid proliferation of digital artifacts saturates human interaction spaces, shaping the very context in which social exchanges take place. This, in turn, profoundly influences social perception, reshaping behavioral patterns, and fostering new mechanisms of social relationships. 

What to expect 

In the quasi-reality society, human existence is increasingly shaped by and dependent on the realm of social practice constructed by social reality (II), while still being constrained by the external limitations imposed by the material world. More often than not, social practice operates within a fluid space, where social reality (II) serves as a crucial resource for social reproduction, yet individuals must constantly navigate between the material world and social reality. As a result, compared to the solidified social structures of the past, the operation of the quasi-reality society is characterized by the coexistence of logic (necessity) and anti-logic (contingency). 

The shift towards social quasi-reality has fundamentally altered the landscape of human social relations. The new communication revolution has created entirely novel external conditions for social interactions, overturning traditional spatial-temporal constraints and detaching social action from material dependencies. This has significantly enhanced both the selectivity and convenience of human interaction. However, understanding social relationships within the quasi-reality society has become increasingly challenging, as has grasping the structures and logic governing this emerging social order. 

Although the process of social quasi-reality remains in flux, with its key variables and relational mechanisms still obscured, this does not mean that its underlying structures and logic are beyond comprehension. However, relying solely on traditional social science theories and knowledge paradigms will make deciphering this new social logic even more difficult. What is needed is a cognitive and epistemological revolution—a departure from outdated theoretical frameworks in favor of new epistemologies and methodologies capable of uncovering the underlying deterministic logic behind the complexities of quasi-real social relations. 

The meta-technical communication system, a technology framework built on digitization, continuously expands and evolves, giving rise to new and ever-evolving communication technologies. It is this integration of digital technology and the involvement of artificial intelligence that continuously drive the evolution and development of the new communication revolution. Its profound impact on human existence has led to one of its most significant outcomes: the emergence of the quasi-reality society. 

Historically, the significance of the visible material world that has long shaped social practice has diminished, while the social reality (II), fostered by the digital technology integration system, has greatly expanded. The quasi-reality society represents a shift from “first-order reality” to “second-order reality” in the social structure and generates numerous new realities (quasi-realities) through digital technology—media rainforests—placing traditional reality under the governance of digital media. In the quasi-reality society, traditional reality is increasingly being incorporated into digital systems and media programs, and only when it becomes an object of the latter’s operation is it more likely to become a subject of human practice. 

In this context, the boundary between quasi-reality and traditional reality is becoming increasingly blurred. However, their differences persist, even as quasi-reality comes to dominate, allowing seamless transitions between the two to the point where the distinction between them may go unnoticed. The “de-realization towards virtualization” on the experiential level is merely a surface manifestation of the quasi-reality society. Beneath this surface, a new “digital operating system” is emerging as the dominant force that governs and shapes society. This is the foundation upon which the quasi-reality society is formed and evolves. 

Zhang Taofu (professor) and Jiang Hua (research fellow) are from the School of Journalism at Fudan University. 

Edited by WANG YOURAN