English alumnus publishes book on digital landscape's impact and how to navigate it

Mark Heisten, an assistant professor of communication at Marist University, has published, "Living in the Simulacra: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Baudrillard." Heisten, BA '92, examines the ethical and political-economic challenges posed by our current fragmented and hyperreal media environment through practical examples and in-depth case studies.

Heisten's book uses the concept of the simulacra, as developed by Plato, Deleuze, and Baudrillard, as an overarching framework to explore how the digital landscape has transformed our understanding of reality. Through practical examples and in-depth case studies, it explores how the simulacra has taken over contemporary life—as well as the ethical implications for media producers and audiences within that space.