I have always been obsessed with The Matrix and its core idea ever since I was first introduced to it. My favorite show of all time is arguably Naruto Shippuden, where the main villain's philosophy revolves around projecting his "Dream World" onto the moon, forcing every human into a Matrix-like state: asleep in a cocoon, their energy harvested by a tree while they remain trapped in a permanent dream.
That fascination led me to search for the origins of this way of thinking, and Jean Baudrillard's work is my latest exploration of the idea. I'm not finished with Simulacra and Simulation yet, but it will be my main read this summer while I'm busy writing my own book.