The policy of twins: projections of the real in modern media

This article continues the study of ‘real’ and ‘perceived’ identity and represents the conceptual analysis of the phenomenon of digital twins and alter egos in contemporary media. The study attempts to understand the transformations of identity, which in media practices goes beyond a simple reflection of the subject and acquires its own agency. The focus is laid on the process of transforming digital identity into an independent entity –an autonomous image or digital alter ego capable of functioning independently. Drawing on classical philosophy (Platonic eidos, Hegel’s approach to the ‘thing-in-itself’ and its representation) allows to identify the ontological foundations of the discrepancy between the subject and their digital projections. Baudrillard’s concepts of simulacrum and Deleuze’s rhizome expand the scope of the analysis, allowing us to describe the digital media space as an autonomous reality where representations not only reflect but also replace the ‘real’. The analysis demonstrates that in contemporary media, digital projections of personality go beyond representation and begin to function as active actors in political / public discourse.

The development of working hypotheses, search and selection of relevant studies for comparative analysis were conducted using ChatGPT (OpenAI). Data validation, interpretation, and conceptual analysis were accordingly realized by the author.

1. Aristotle (ed. 2014). Metaphysics. St. Petersburg: Lan (in Rus.).

2. Baudrillard J. (2015). Simulacra and Simulation (translated O.A. Pechenkin). Moscow: Postum (in Rus.).

3. Bauman Z. (2002). Individualized Society (transl. V.L. Inozemtsev). Moscow: Logos (in Rus.).

4. Bauman Z. (2008). Liquid Modernity (transl.). St. Petersburg: Piter (in Rus.).

5. Danilova E.N., Yadov V.A. (2004). Unstable Social Identity as a Norm of Modern Communities. Sociological Studies. No. 10. P. 27-30 (in Rus.).

6. Deleuze J., Guattari F. (2008). A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia (transl. S.N. Zenkin). Yekaterinburg: U-Factoria (in Rus.).

7. Demkin V.O. (2024). Digital Personality and Digital Image of a Person: Characteristics and Place of Concepts in the System of Related Categories. Bulletin of RUDN University. Series: Legal Sciences. Vol. 28. No. 3. P. 512-527. DOI: 10.22363/2313-2337-2024-28-3-512-527 (in Rus.).

8. Grieves М. (2015). Digital twin: Manufacturing excellence through virtual factory replication, accessed at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275211047_Digital_Twin_Manufacturing_Excellence_through_Virtual_Factory_Replication/citation/download.

9. Hegel G. (2000 ed.). Phenomenology of the Spirit (transl.). Moscow: Nauka (in Rus.).

10. Hegel G. (2013 ed.). The Science of Logic (1812–1816). St. Petersburg: Lan (in Rus.).

11. Kirillina N.V. (2023). Real and Perceived Identity in the Digital Environment. Communicology. Vol. 11. No. 2. P. 150-157. DOI: 10.21453/2311-3065-2023-11-2-150-157 (in Rus.).

12. Kritzinger W., Karner M., Traar G., Henjes J., Sihn W. (2018). Digital twin in manufacturing: a categorical literature review and classification. IFAC-PapersOnLine. No. 51(11). P. 1016-1022. DOI: 10.1016/j.ifacol.2018.08.474.

13. Luhmann N. (2005). The Reality of Mass Media (transl. A.Yu. Antonovsky). Moscow: Praxis (in Rus.).

14. Luhmann N. (2007). Introduction to Systems Theory (ed. by D. Becker; transl. K. Timofeev). Moscow: Logos (in Rus.).

15. Lütkes L., Tuitjer L., Dirksmeier P. (2023). Sailing to save the planet? Media-produced narratives of Greta Thunberg’s trip to the UN Climate Summit in German print newspapers. Humanities and Social Sciences Communication. No. 10. Article 242. DOI: 10.1057/s41599-023-01743-6.

16. Mamedov A.K., Smirnova O.V., Denisova G.V., Sapunova O.V. (2025). Conflict between the Real and Digital Personalities of Participants in the Media Communication Process: Research Results. RUDN Journal of Sociology. Vol. 25. No. 2. P. 397-409. DOI: 10.22363/2313-2272-2025-25-2-397409 (in Rus.).

17. Muller A.A. (2025). Transformation of Social Spaces and Their Metamorphoses in the Digital Twin of Media Reality. Society: Philosophy, History, Culture. No. 7(135). P. 54-59. DOI: 10.24158/fik.2025.7.7 (in Rus.).

18. Olesen T. (2020). Greta Thunberg’s iconicity: Performance and co-performance in the social media ecology. New Media & Society. Vol. 24. No. 6. P. 1325-1342. DOI: 10.1177/1461444820975416.

19. Ott B.L. (2016). The age of Twitter: Donald J. Trump and the politics of debasement. Critical Studies in Media Communication. No. 34 (1). P. 59-68. DOI: 10.1080/15295036.2016.1266686.

20. Philips W. (2016). This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things Mapping the Relationship between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture. The MIT Press.

21. Plato (ed. 2017). The Republic (Book VI–VII). Moscow: Ruscience (in Rus.).

22. Platonova S.I. (2024). Identity in a Digital Society: Genesis of the Concept and Main Characteristics. Nomothetika: Philosophy. Sociology. Law. No. 49(2). P. 357–366. DOI: 10.52575/2712-746X-202449-2-357-366 (in Rus.).

23. Reid J., Rhodes D. (2016). Digital system models: an investigation of the nontechnical challenges and research needs, In: Conference on Systems Engineering Research, Systems Engineering Advancement Research Initiative. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

24. Ricoeur P. (2008). Oneself as another (transl). Moscow: Publishing House of Humanitarian Literature (in Rus.).

25. Robles-Carrillo M. (2024). Digital identity: an approach to its nature, concept and functionalities. International Journal of Law and Information Technology. Vol. 32. DOI: 10.1093/ijlit/eaae019.

26. Rylskaya E.A., Pogorelov D.N. (2021). Personal Identity in the Virtual Space of Social Networks and Real Identity: Comparative Characteristics. Yaroslavl Pedagogical Bulletin. No. 1 (118). P. 105–114. DOI: 10.20323/1813-145X-2021-1-118-105-114 (in Rus.).

27. Startsev A.A., Grishanin N.V., Kirillina N.V. (2018). Identity and Personal Identification in Social Networks. Communicology. Vol. 6. No. 4. P. 76-87 (in Rus.).

28. Voiskunsky A.E., Evdokimenko A.S., Fedunina N.Yu. (2013). Alternative Identity in Social Networks. Bulletin of Moscow University. Series 14. No. 1. P. 66-83 (in Rus.).

29. Young S. (2020). Your Digital Alter Ego – The Superhero/Villain You (Never) Wanted Transcending Space and Time? Computers and Composition. Vol. 55. P. 1-11. DOI: 10.1016/j.compcom.2020.102543.

30. Zelinsky D. (2024). ‘To the moon!’: Elon Musk, Dogecoin and the political economy of charismatic leadership. Journal of Cultural Economy. DOI: 10.1080/17530350.2024.2302177.