The "Harbinger of Chaos": Semantic Anatomy of a Simulacrum
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28925/2311-2425.2025.2410Keywords:
myth, simulacrum, semantics, E. Musk, system, empathy, entropyAbstract
This article analyses a number of statements delivered by E. Musk in mass media interviews and posted via the Twitter / X platform. The paper argues that the discursive statements under analysis do not meet the criterion of truth and therefore are identified as simulacra. The article focuses on the reconstruction of propositions that generate false senses in the said statements. The paper provides typological semiotic and functional characteristics of respective language units. Special attention is paid to the reconstruction of a "virus program" encoded in Musk's statement on empathy. The statement's inner "textual structure" and its frame representation are suggested. Interdisciplinary interpretations are carried out in the framework of the myth-oriewnted semiosis theory.
Downloads
References
Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and simulation. Translated by Sheila Faria Glaser. Ann Arbor The University of Michigan Press.
Dorn, S., Saul, D. (2025). Germany’s Leader Blasts Musk’s Support For Right-Wing Global Politicians—Here’s Where Else He’s Intervened. Forbes, Jan 29, 2025. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/01/29/germanys-eader-blasts-musks-support-for-right-wing-global-politicians-heres-where-else-hes-intervened
Douglas, A. (1994). Symbiotic interactions, Oxford University Press
Duffy, C. (2023). Elon Musk wins lawsuit over ‘funding secured’ tweet. CNN. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/03/cars/musk-tesla-tweet-lawsuit-jury/index.html
Gambini, M., Senette, C., Fagni, T., Tesconi, M. (2024). Evaluating large language models for user stance detection on X (Twitter). Machine Learning, 113(10):7243-7266. DOI: 10.1007/s10994-024-06587-y
Grobar, M. (2021). ‘SNL’: Elon Musk Talks Vision For The Future, Twitter Trolling & Hosting With Asperger’s In Opening Monologue. Deadline. Retrieved from https://deadline.com/2021/05/snl-elon-musk-opening-monologue-1234752434/
Kolesnyk, O. (2011). Mifolohichnyi prostir kriz pryzmu movy ta kultury. Chernihiv: CHNPU.
Kolesnyk, O. (2016). Verbal Modelling of Alternative Worlds from the Standpoint of the Myth-Oriented Semiosis Theory. Kalba ir kontekstai, VII (1): 248-255.
Kolesnyk, O. (2021). The Mythic Multiverse Through the Scope of Language: The “Procedural Anatomy” of Verbal Modelling. Cognitive Studies | Études cognitive, 21, 2447. Retrieved from https://ispan.waw.pl/journals/index.php/cs-ec/article/view/cs.2447
Kolesnyk, O., Holtseva, M. (2022). Lies and deception in modern english diplomatic discourse: pragmatics in interdisciplinary focus, XIV (1): 154-172. Retrieved from https://cogito.ucdc.ro/COGITO_MARTIE_2022.pdf
Lambert, L.M. (2024). Ecological empathy: relational theory and practice. Ecosystems and People, 20(1). DOI: 10.1080/26395916.2024.2396919
Matthews, M.R., Jávor, R. (2023). Nature’s influence on the development of empathy: An exploratory study.Szociális Szemle, 16(1):1-13. DOI: 10.15170/SocRev.2023.16.01.01
Musk, E. (2018). Post by @elonmusk, 7:48 PM, Aug 7, 2018. Retrieved from https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1026872652290379776
Musk, E. (2024a). Post by @elonmusk, 10:36 PM, Nov 11, 2024. Retrieved from https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1854558548732121169
Musk, E. (2024b). Post by @elonmusk, 10:36 PM, Nov 11, 2024. Retrieved from https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1856073530137526564?lang=en
NowThis Impact (2020). 'Nobody Knows More' Than Trump About Anything: A Supercut | NowThis. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR3f95BGIiA
Panjaitan, L.L., Patria, A.N. (2024). Social Media and Language Evolution: The Impact of Digital Communication on Language Change. International Journal of Linguistics Literature & Translation, 7(12):53-57. DOI: 10.32996/ijllt.2024.7.12.8
Samples, C. (2024). Gender-inclusive Language in Twitter. Hispania, 107(1):139-159. DOI: 10.1353/hpn.2024.a921466
VICE News (2018). 24 Things Nobody Does Better Than Trump (According To Trump). Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA631bMT9g8
Wasinger, G., Moon, H., Mann, B. (2025). Twitter Politics: The Effect of Language Style and Source Type on Credibility Judgments. Academic Leadership Journal in Student Research, 7. DOI: 10.58809/XBPY1005
Wolf, Z.B. (2025). Elon Musk wants to save Western civilization from empathy. CNN. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/05/politics/elon-musk-rogan-interview-empathy-doge/index.html
Yerina, Y. et al., (2024). The Types of Figurative Language Found in Twitter Account "Great Minds Quotes". English Language and Literature, 13(1): 87. DOI:10.24036/ell.v13i1.127481
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 CC BY 4.0 DEED Attribution 4.0 International
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
