Symbols

Baudrillard makes an interesting observation about the evolution of representations of the real when he comments that in the current age even symbols  (or signs) that represent real ideas are being replaced by symbols that are themselves real.

Some of the very first symbols of the real were cave paintings that were likely used to recount actual events.  In this instance, the horse symbol was a direct representation of an actual horse.  As our methods of conveying information have become more sophisticated, symbols have evolved to encompass ideas of the real, as well as the real itself.  The word horse in a novel does not reference an actual horse, for example, but the idea of horse, and triggers each audience member to apply their own varying understandings of horse to the situations of the novel.  In the digital age, symbols have evolved again.  A horse in Second Life, for example, is most likely not a representation of an actual horse, nor is it a symbol of the idea of horse.  It is a "real" horse unto itself.  (Interestingly, this evolution in representations of reality is also a reversion, as the symbol no longer relies on the receiver's personal understanding of horse to interpret the symbol like in a novel, but gives a more direct representation as with the cave paintings)