As in the movie the real Matrix is…

…a prison that you cannot smell, taste, or touch. A prison for your mind.

 

Morpheus

However, unlike the Matrix in the movie, it is not a computer system, it is a social one. A complex network of rules, regulations, dogma and belief that shapes our understanding, our reality, our abilities and our expectations. It creates a false reality, that bears little relation to our true humanity.