My name is Amy, I'm eighteen and currently studying Media Studies at A Level. I'm using this blog to log all of the things I learn over the duration of the course! :)
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Article
Postmodernism in a Modern World
Postmodernism is defined by many things throughout our reading, many of which intersect with modernity. The speeding up of time and consolidation of space, which both result from urbanization and industrialization, for example, is just one example of where these two ideas intersect. Also, a deep interest in all things technological sprang from modernity. One main difference between the two, though, is that Postmodernism incorporates a sense of feeling to theses technological aspects of modernity. A main characteristic of postmodernism that integrates this difference is simulacra. Simulacra is basically a type of simulation. It doesn’t necessarily have a real life reference, it can, but it doesn’t need one. It could be a representation of something that doesn’t exist yet.
Simulations seem to be a decently often topic in postmodernism. I myself had an experience with one using the online avatar chat on a program called zwinky. You create your own avatar and use them to play games, get clothes, and meet other avatars. Its the real world without the awkwardness and hassle and the only detrimental thing about it is that there are still some nasty real people behind some of those avatars. Everything in the created world itself is quite pleasant. Postmodernism seems to deal a lot also with things such as these alternate realities in which there really isn’t anything bad in the world you’re given to enjoy. At the same time, we’ve interestingly gotten more cynical as well though. A simulation game that represents this cynical side to postmodernism is The Sims. You control the people and environment you’ve created, so you can choose to be cynical or you can choose to be idyllic. This leads directly into another aspect of postmodernism – irony and a sense of one's own involvement in popular culture. I believe my Sims example explains those both pretty well. :)
With all of these simulations surfacing, its hard not to see how the questioning of the concepts of self and identity, both alone and with a group of people, have been involved. Now, people can be themselves if they’re normally to shy to be themselves in person, but who is this “self”? The openness and anonymity of these simulacra environments allows you to figure that out and better understand yourself without worrying about other people judging you.
The simulations don’t stop there. They are continued in animated movies and other animated media. These simulations enjoy using reflexivity to adapt their films, etc. to the postmodern viewer. With reflexivity, viewers are aware of the material and technical uses in the production. This brings into play again the ironic nature of postmodernism in the fact that the viewer can be interpellated by this simulated media and appreciate it even though they know full well it isn’t real and are aware of the means of production.
Postmodernism seems all about the technical advances, as was modernity, but people seem more interested in production techniques and involving and educating themselves more in it (ex. zwinky, animated shorts, Sims). People like to know what’s going on, and they want to be a part of it, and if they can’t have it in real life, they find a way to control things and make a perfect world of their own yet.
Simulations seem to be a decently often topic in postmodernism. I myself had an experience with one using the online avatar chat on a program called zwinky. You create your own avatar and use them to play games, get clothes, and meet other avatars. Its the real world without the awkwardness and hassle and the only detrimental thing about it is that there are still some nasty real people behind some of those avatars. Everything in the created world itself is quite pleasant. Postmodernism seems to deal a lot also with things such as these alternate realities in which there really isn’t anything bad in the world you’re given to enjoy. At the same time, we’ve interestingly gotten more cynical as well though. A simulation game that represents this cynical side to postmodernism is The Sims. You control the people and environment you’ve created, so you can choose to be cynical or you can choose to be idyllic. This leads directly into another aspect of postmodernism – irony and a sense of one's own involvement in popular culture. I believe my Sims example explains those both pretty well. :)
With all of these simulations surfacing, its hard not to see how the questioning of the concepts of self and identity, both alone and with a group of people, have been involved. Now, people can be themselves if they’re normally to shy to be themselves in person, but who is this “self”? The openness and anonymity of these simulacra environments allows you to figure that out and better understand yourself without worrying about other people judging you.
The simulations don’t stop there. They are continued in animated movies and other animated media. These simulations enjoy using reflexivity to adapt their films, etc. to the postmodern viewer. With reflexivity, viewers are aware of the material and technical uses in the production. This brings into play again the ironic nature of postmodernism in the fact that the viewer can be interpellated by this simulated media and appreciate it even though they know full well it isn’t real and are aware of the means of production.
Postmodernism seems all about the technical advances, as was modernity, but people seem more interested in production techniques and involving and educating themselves more in it (ex. zwinky, animated shorts, Sims). People like to know what’s going on, and they want to be a part of it, and if they can’t have it in real life, they find a way to control things and make a perfect world of their own yet.
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