Does 'virtual' mean real or fake? [closed]

Question

Our deputy manager is the virtual head of the business.

In this sentence the manager is the real person who in charge.

There will be a virtual presenter and virtual guests who will help create the atmosphere of a beauty contest.

Here the presenter and guests are all fake.

This virtual really confuses me.

Answer 1

virtual

Virtual means “apparent, but not in fact”. Sometimes it means “not in fact but nearly so”. Examples:

• virtual memory – apparently (to the program) but not in fact the physical memory of the machine

• virtual reality – apparently (to the observer) but not in fact physical reality; simulated reality

• virtual particle – an unobservable particle which might temporarily come into existence during a particle reaction; the possibility that it might exist briefly is necessary for the mathematics to correctly predict how particles behave, but will never be demonstrated in fact as a physical observation

• a virtual certainty – not in fact a complete certainty, but nearly so

• a virtual failure – not in fact a complete failure, but nearly so

virtually

Similarly, the adverb form virtually can also mean either “apparently, but not in fact” or “not in fact but nearly so”. Examples:

• “Makes your dishes virtually spotless!” – makes your dishes apparently (or nearly), but not in fact, spotless (a classic bit of advertising hyperbole)

• virtually agree to something – apparently agree by not expressing disagreement, without in fact agreeing

• virtually present – apparently present (in virtual reality, or present by representative or proxy), but not in fact present

• virtually paralyzed – not paralyzed in fact, but nearly so

Answer 2

Virtual in your context, I believe, does mean fake. However, it is not just some fake, but it represents the idea of becoming as realistic as possible giving the observer the illusion that it is real. Hence, virtual is something fake that is nearly real.

Answer 3

In both sentences, virtual means the same thing -- something that has the appearance and behavior of the real thing, but is not actually the real thing.

The "virtual head" of a business appears and acts as if he were the real head of the business. It is as if he were the head of the business, but he is not actually the head of the business.

The "virtual guests" appear and behave like real guests. It is as if they were real guests, but they are not actual guests.

Answer 4

The concept real doesn't really apply. Virtual in these instances mean effectively but not literally or formally.

The deputy manager acts or serves as the head of the business even if someone else has the title.

The presenter and guests will be participating in the meeting by voice, image or text or a combination, but will not be physically present in the room.

In both cases there is a reality about the role or the involvement, there is just not a traditional completeness about the status or presence.

Answer 5

In the first sentence your manager is not really the head of the business but rather a proxy.

The second sentence sounds more like maybe a Max Headroom style presenter or actors pretending to be in a beauty contest to give the feel in some sort of open house. I would be able to elaborate better with the rest of the story.

Either way, Virtual is used the way it should be used in both cases and not contradictory.