Horror Realism and the Mechanism of Artificial Value Creation (ทฤษฎีให้อาหารนก)

Horror Realism and the Mechanism of Artificial Value Creation: A Meta-Analysis from Metaphysics, Behavioral Science, and the Path to a Universe 25 Catastrophe in the Global Economy

Within the context of the 21st-century global economy, the condition Mark Fisher defined as "Capitalist Realism" has evolved into a more intense and terrifying form. This can be aptly termed "Horror Realism." This condition is no longer just the belief that there is no alternative to capitalism; it is a state where the ideology of capital has permeated and consumed the human imagination to the point where we can no longer distinguish between Real Value and Arbitrary Value. This report aims to explore the mechanisms by which artificial value creation has become the core of the modern economic system. It does so by integrating data from Marxist economic theory, Skinnerian behavioral science, and the results of population-level behavioral simulations to prove that a system built on a foundation of artificial value is steering humanity toward an irreversible behavioral collapse.

The Theoretical Framework: Economics and the Metaphysics of Emptiness

Understanding "Horror Realism" requires starting with the theoretical foundation of "Fictitious Capital," a concept Karl Marx outlined to describe value that circulates in the financial system without a basis in actual production. In the current era, fictitious capital is no longer limited to debt instruments or stocks; it has transformed into a "Business Ontology" that compels every dimension of human life to be quantified into numbers and profit. The horror of this system lies in its characteristic, which Fisher likened to "The Thing" from John Carpenter's horror film—a plastic, shapeless entity that can assimilate and consume everything into itself, be it anti-capitalist ideologies or sacred cultural traditions.

This system operates through "Market Stalinism," which prioritizes the symbols of success over genuine achievement. Here, "Artificial Value" is defined as value derived from the management of representations—such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), evaluation paperwork, or social media trends. These elements do not enhance genuine productivity; they merely create an illusion designed to extract surplus value from labor and resources.

Comparative Dimensions

To understand the shift, we can compare traditional Capitalist Realism with the current Horror Realism:

· Ideological Foundation: Traditional Capitalist Realism posits that capitalism is the most efficient system. Horror Realism asserts that capitalism is the only system congruent with human nature.

· Role of the State: In the traditional view, the state is subject to privatization and neoliberal critique. Under Horror Realism, the state functions merely as a police mechanism and a bailout fund for banks.

· Cultural Interpretation: The focus shifts from branding and marketing to turning culture into lifeless museum objects.

· Psychological State: The driver changes from the stress of competition to depression and a sense of powerlessness, stemming from a depoliticized condition.

· Goal of Production: The aim moves from creating useful goods and services to generating empty symbols and exchange value.

This creation of artificial value is inextricably linked to capital's ability to completely transform "Use Value" into "Exchange Value," until personal worth is reduced to its market price. The horror emerges when humans begin to accept this as the sole "reality," beyond which no alternative can be imagined.

A Comparative Analysis of Artificial Value in the Real World

In the real world, artificial value appears not as an abstract concept but as the driver of massive industries and behaviors. Two of the most obvious examples are digital assets like Meme Coins and the phenomenon of "Bullshit Jobs" in modern organizations.

Digital Assets and Speculative Culture

Meme Coins, such as Dogecoin and other internet-trend-based tokens, are a clear example of value creation from emptiness. These assets lack technological utility and are not backed by the production of goods or services. Their value depends entirely on "Community Sentiment" and psychological mechanisms like FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and Social Proof.

Studies have found that a significant majority (around 82.8%) of high-return coins employ artificial growth strategies, such as wash trading (trading amongst oneself to inflate prices) and leveraging celebrity influence to create hype. This is not value creation that adds real wealth to society; it is a "Wealth Transfer" from retail investors to early adopters and market power-players.

Bullshit Jobs

David Graeber proposed that 20% to 50% of jobs in the current economy are "bullshit jobs"—employment so pointless that even the workers themselves feel their work contributes nothing to society. These jobs are categorized into five main types:

· Flunkies: Jobs that exist to make superiors feel important (e.g., administrative assistants with no real duties).

· Goons: Jobs with an element of aggression, such as lobbyists or corporate lawyers hired solely to counter opponents.

· Duct Tapers: Jobs that exist to fix problems that shouldn't exist in the first place.

· Box Tickers: Jobs focused on creating paperwork to prove the organization is doing something, even if that something is pointless.

· Taskmasters: Jobs that involve managing people who could manage themselves.

The horror lies in the fact that these jobs are often paid significantly more than jobs that provide genuine value to society, such as cleaning, nursing, or agriculture. This creates "Psychological Violence" against the workers, trapping them in meaningless employment in exchange for the ability to consume.

A Comparison of Income: Real Value vs. Fictitious Value and the Decoupling of Productivity

Current income inequality is not merely a result of differing skill sets; it is a consequence of a system that rewards "Artificial Value" over "Real Value." Data from reports on global inequality show that wealth is concentrated in a tiny fraction of the population, with the ultra-wealthy holding more than half of the world's wealth.

While total output has steadily increased due to technological advancements, real wages for labor have been "decoupling" from productivity since the 1970s. A comparison of different groups illustrates this:

· Essential Workers (Real Production): Their average income is 15-20% below their productivity level. They are characterized by surplus extraction and stagnant wages.

· Bullshit Jobs: These roles enjoy high average income with full benefits, functioning to control labor and maintain power structures.

· Fictitious Capital (Billionaires): This group sees massive wealth accumulation (e.g., increasing by billions per day), derived from monopoly power and rent-seeking.

· Crypto Speculation (Meme Coins): Insiders can see extreme, short-term gains (e.g., 28,000% in 36 hours). This activity represents wealth transfer, not value addition.

The fact that creators of real value (nurses, teachers, sanitation workers) earn less than creators of artificial value (financial consultants, luxury goods marketers) reflects the market's failure in resource allocation. This system rewards not effort or social benefit, but the capacity for economic rent-seeking and the manipulation of business symbols.

The Mechanism of Bait: Between Proud Victims and Covert Pyramid Schemes

In Horror Realism, control mechanisms rely less on outright coercion and more on making victims "willing" and even "proud" to be tools in the creation of artificial value.

Proud Victims in the Gig Economy and MLMs

In platform economies and Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), participants are often lured by the ideology of "business ownership" and "financial freedom."

· The Pride of Business Ownership: Platforms like Uber or food delivery apps make workers feel like independent "partners" with freedom over their time. In reality, they are controlled by opaque algorithms that can deactivate them at any time, while they bear all operational costs themselves.

· Identity Creation in MLM: MLM participants often view their hard work as part of self-development and spiritual victory. They take pride in the titles and rewards the system bestows upon them, even though the vast majority (over 99%) experience a net loss.

Faceless Ponzi Schemes and Unwitting Downlines

The difference between traditional pyramid schemes and modern artificial value systems is the sophistication of the lure. In the case of digital assets with no real value, holders automatically become part of a system driven by the "Greater Fool Theory."

"Shilling" on social media is a prime example. Investors in Meme Coins or NFT projects frantically promote their own assets on social platforms, hoping to drive up the price. Unknowingly, they act as downlines in a digital pyramid scheme with no single mastermind, driven instead by collective greed. The cult of personality, using celebrities or influential figures as symbols, makes victims feel they are pursuing a "dream" rather than being used as bait.

A Comparison of Mechanisms:

· Traditional Ponzi Scheme: Has a clear mastermind (e.g., Bernie Madoff). The main lure is guaranteed fixed returns. The victim's role is a passive beneficiary. The psychological state is ignorance.

· Covert Artificial Value System (Meme Coins/Gig): Has no center or is distributed via algorithms. The main lure is the ideology of freedom and limitless opportunity. The victim's role is a content creator and belief-spreader. The psychological state is proud victimhood.

Social Psychology and the Ease of Mass Control

Why is creating artificial value so easy and successful in contemporary society? The answer lies in designing systems that align with the brain's reward mechanisms while dismantling individual political agency.

Skinnerian Conditioning and Dopamine Addiction

The current economic system leverages "Variable Reinforcement Schedules," which B.F. Skinner identified as the most effective method for creating addictive behaviors. In animal experiments, pigeons pecked most rapidly when food rewards came at unpredictable intervals. In humans, this principle is applied to:

· Social Media and Crypto Trading: The anticipation of "Likes" or a sudden price spike causes continuous dopamine release.

· Gamification of Work: Using points, levels, and rankings in work applications makes users feel engaged and challenged, making them forget they are engaged in exploitative labor.

The Destruction of Alternatives and Structural Depression

Fisher pointed out that Capitalist Realism depoliticizes mental illness, turning it into a "personal problem."

· Individualization of Failure: The system encourages individuals to see their failures as a result of their own lack of effort, not as a symptom of systemic economic issues.

· Lack of Imagination for Alternatives: Humans are taught to be mere "consumer-spectators," capable only of watching the ruins of old beliefs and accepting capitalism as the sole remaining reality.

Simulating Universe 25 in the Economic System

John Calhoun’s "Universe 25" experiment serves as a crucial parable: a society that is materially abundant but spiritually and socially broken is doomed. When this model is applied to an economy dominated by artificial value, we see a path to catastrophe:

Phase 1: Meaningless Abundance (Phases A & B)

When basic needs are met by technology, but the economic structure creates "bullshit jobs" merely to control the population, humans begin to lose their sense of purpose. Resources are sufficient, but competition shifts to the empty dimensions of status and image-building.

Phase 2: Behavioral Sink (Phase C)

In this phase, social behavior collapses. The population clusters in areas of symbolic advantage (like global cities full of bullshit jobs), even when ample space exists elsewhere. Parallels to the "Beautiful Ones" in Calhoun's experiment emerge: like the mice who focused only on grooming, eating, and sleeping while ignoring social interaction, modern humans retreat from genuine connection, focusing instead on digital image management and purely aesthetic consumption. A loss of social skills—the capacity for cooperation, courtship, and deep bonding—leads to plummeting birth rates and severe loneliness.

Phase 3: Spiritual and Biological Death (Phase D: Die-out)

Calhoun called this final stage "The Second Death"—the death of the spirit before physical death. Institutions like family and community bonds dissolve completely, leaving individuals as isolated atoms. Crucially, when the population loses its "social capacity" for living together, they cannot recover even if removed from the restrictive environment. The end becomes irreversible.

The Mathematical Model of Decline (IFTB Model)

Simulations using the Intent Field Theory of Biology (IFTB) demonstrate that when a system’s parameters are dominated by "Environmental Forcing" in the form of artificial value, the system's potential transforms into a shape that destroys the stability of creative behavior.

This is represented by the equation V(I) = (λ/4) (I² - I₀²)². Here, I represents the will to create real value, and I₀ represents the level of artificial reward in the system. As I₀ increases without limit, the human will is drawn into the "black hole of meaningless rewards," ultimately leading to increased entropy (disorder) within the economic system.

The Intelligence Trap and Reward-Seeking Behavior in the Ecological Kingdom

A crucial question: How much can intelligent life be deceived into performing incomprehensible behaviors for rewards? Studies in animals, particularly those with high intelligence, offer a startling answer.

Animals Learning Irrational Behaviors

· Pigeons and Superstitious Rituals: In Skinner’s experiments, pigeons given random rewards began exhibiting repetitive, ritualistic behaviors (e.g., turning left, bowing) that they coincidentally performed just before a reward. They readily created "artificial meaning" for actions that had no actual effect on outcomes.

· Dolphins and Dogs and Symbolic Control: These animals can learn complex commands via secondary reinforcers (like a whistle or clicker). They perform not because they understand the "value" of the action, but because the action becomes a condition for receiving a reward.

· Horses and Negative Reinforcement: Horses can be trained to perform deeply unnatural acts simply to make a "pressure" (physical or otherwise) stop. This mirrors office workers performing bullshit jobs just to avoid economic hardship or social shame.

The Intelligence Trap

Ironically, the more intelligent an animal (like dolphins or apes), the more capable it is of learning complex "distorted behaviors." Humans, as the most intelligent species, can be seduced by "symbols of value" (like bank balances or social status) that are far more sophisticated than the food pellets in a Skinner box.

Comparing Species:

· Pigeons: High capacity for learning complex behaviors (e.g., guiding rockets). They respond to immediate rewards, making them prone to creating superstitious rituals.

· Dogs/Cats: High capacity through social learning and imitation. They respond to emotional connection and commands, leading to over-imitation (performing unnecessary steps).

· Dolphins: Very high capacity through culture and language. They respond to group dynamics and social proof, making them susceptible to the symbols of training.

· Humans: Maximum capacity through abstraction and ideology. They respond to artificial value, symbols, and status, leading to entrapment within empty value systems (Horror Realism).

Human intelligence does not shield us from deception; instead, it acts as an "amplifier," allowing us to create and rationalize the complex structures of "artificial value" that become our own spiritual cages.

Synthetic Conclusion: The Path of Breakdown and the Rescue of Imagination

Through this meta-analysis and behavioral simulation, it becomes clear that "Horror Realism" and the creation of artificial value constitute the most severe crisis of human civilization today. This system does not merely exploit economically; it is destroying the foundational structures of social behavior and the very purpose of living.

Key Findings of this Study:

1. Artificial Value is an Economic Vampire: Speculation in baseless assets and the proliferation of bullshit jobs drain resources and creativity from the labor that produces genuine value.

2. Control Through Pride: The system transforms victims into advocates through ideologies of "business ownership" and "self-management," which in reality shift burdens and risks onto individuals.

3. The Universe 25 Condition: A lack of meaningful social roles amidst artificial material abundance is leading to a behavioral sink, manifesting as a mental health crisis and a loss of capacity to build a collective future.

4. Intelligence is a Trap: Humans use their intellect to create justifications for their belief in empty value, much like pigeons perform dances for randomly dispensed food.

Systemic Recommendations:

Escaping this Horror Realism requires a radical, foundational shift:

· Revitalize Use Value: Prioritize work that fulfills fundamental human and planetary needs over work that sustains business symbols.

· Dismantle Business Ontology: Remove critical sectors like education and public health from the control of capitalist performance metrics that distort true quality.

· Create Alternative Spaces: Promote non-profit cooperatives and alternative economic structures to reclaim social imagination from the singular "truth" of capital.

If we do not begin to question the meaning of the "value" to which we dedicate our lives, humanity may face the same end as the mice in Universe 25: a life within a physically perfect habitat, yet spiritually and meaningfully dead. An economic system where artificial value triumphs over real value is a system committing long-term suicide. Recognizing this "horror" is the first and most crucial step toward seeking a way out.