HYPERREALITY IN RADIOHEAD’S THE BENDS, OK COMPUTER, AND KID A ALBUMS: A SATIRE TO CAPITALISM, CONSUMERISM, AND MECHANISATION IN POSTMODERN CULTURE

摘要

This research aims to identify the phenomena of hyperreality in Radiohead’s three albums, The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A, and to explain the causes and the impacts of hyperreality in relation with capitalism, consumerism, and mechanisation in postmodern culture. To answer the objectives, this research employed the theory of postmodernism by Jean Baudrillard.udThe research is qualitative in nature. The main source of this research is three albums of Radiohead entitled The Bends (1995), OK Computer (1997), and Kid A(2000). The data are some phrases, clauses, and sentences related to the orders, the causes, and the impacts of simulacra in relation with capitalism, consumerism, and mechanisation in postmodern culture. The data analysis was conducted through five steps: listening to the albums, scrutinising the lyrics, comparing the lyrics to Baudrillard’s theory of simulacra and hyperreality, making a data sheet, and analysing and interpreting, making the interrelation between the description of the data and the theory. To obtain trustworthiness, the researcher used peer debriefing method. To gain more credibility, the researcher used source triangulation techniques by collecting data from some particular books related to postmodern culture and Radiohead’s The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A albums.udThe findings of this research show that there are ten songs that represent the third order of simulacra in the form of hyperreality: (1) “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”, (2) “Paranoid Android”, (3) “(Nice Dream)”, (4) “Fake Plastic Trees”, (5) “High and Dry”, (6) “Airbag”, (7) “Climbing Up the Walls”, (8) “Fitter Happier”, (9) “Motion Picture Soundtrack”, and (10) “In Limbo”. From the analysis, it can be concluded that there are four causes of hyperreality: (1) media power, (2) technological advancement, (3) hegemonic capitalism, and (4) commercialism and consumerism. Meanwhile, there are five impacts of hyperreality: (1) automatism, (2) terrorism, (3) pessimism, (4) consumer society, and (5) fantasy over reality.