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Excerpt from a longer work that defines postmodenity in the context of social change, written by David Harvey, a professor of geograpthy and social theory. Includes examples, an explanation of his argument, defintions, etc and a bibiolographty

The site is a postmodern form of communication. It charges nothing to use and its content is primarily user-generated. The site combines the best of e-mail, social networking, Instant Mesaging, video sharing etc. It is for the masses and largely controlled by the masses.

The Longest Poem in the World, written by everyone using the social networking service Twitter, is a project conceived by Andrei Gheorghe. The site "aggregat[es] real-time public twitter updates and selecting those that rhyme", even selecting for nontraditional spelling and dialectal rhyme. The emphasis on user-generated content, the fragmentation of a thousand users randomly (and unknowingly, and anonymously) taking part in a project, and the playful nature with which it addresses the traditional form of poetry are all strong evidence of its postmodern nature.

There is a new show out this fall on abc called Modern Family. However, it should more correctly be called "Postmodern Family". The show is a sitcom that plays out as if it is a documentary about this family consisting of an older father and his very young second wife and her son, and then the older father's two children's families: one being a women and her pretty normal nuclear family, and the other being a homosexual son, his partner and their new adopted baby girl from Asia. Although it claims to be "modern", this family structure is more post modern because it does not match the typical equation "mom+dad=kids". Although the depiction of step parents and families has been on TV since the Brady Bunch, homosexuals (especially ones with children) are a relatively new occurrence on prime time. In the modern era, the nuclear family and heterosexual norms are predominate and more socially acceptable; postmodernity makes room for and accepts these new forms of families. Perhaps the abc network called it "Modern Family" because to the general public the word modern is usually associated with "new" and unique, (which the family structure portrayed on the show is) and were afraid that the title "Postmodern Family" would be to intimidating to potential viewers.

The article discusses how globalization is a word widely used today but it is used in SO many different contexts that it is hard to grasp a real meaning. The terms existence seems to mean "suggests that it is part of a reconfiguring and rethinking of contemporary social theory and politics that is caught up in some of the central debates and conflicts of the present age". This is how it directly relates to postmodernity because there is a definite change occurring in this era from the modern era. The site is a bit lengthy but it contains a huge amount of information and looks at both globalization and postmodernity from a few different perspectives to attempt to gain a full and working understanding of both terms. Globalization itself does seem to be postmodern and the article discusses why, giving both a better definition.

This video starts by beginning the modern movement in art. It shows images that are recognizable pieces of art such as works by Picasso. It moves on to discuss Marx and socialism, capitalism and Freud and psychoanalytic theory. The build up to postmodernism becomes obvious as the voice over becomes faster and louder. As the video discusses postmodernism, rather than flashing images and giving explanations, mouths say names of processes, concepts, images, etc. that are postmodern. The video is fragmented and difficult to define, much like most things in the postmodern era. This video not only discusses how things have become or are postmodern, but is a postmodern video within itself.

"Oh No They Didn't", commonly referred to as ONTD, is a celebrity news and gossip site on the blogging site livejournal.com. Sporting the mantra, "the celebrities are disposable. the content is priceless." on the main page, this site stands apart from the countless other celebrity gossip sites out there because its content is largely user-generated, and every member has the ability to post stories if they so choose. All members also have the ability to comment on every post. Along with facilitating the fifteen minutes (or more) of fame for every celebrity chronicled, ONTD has become a place where all bloggers are created equal- no more waiting for Perez Hilton to break a story on his site. As soon as a member gets word of a story, the story is broken, and a free for all can then ensue.

Only one of infinitely many internet memes, a "lolcat" is a photograph of a cat or kitten with an amusing caption added to the photo, usually written in "lolspeak" - a variety of English that diverges most often in certain grammatical and orthographical constructs. Lolcats were first generated on the image board 4chan and soon spread to become an internet phenomenon. Both the images and captions are user-generated, and often jokes are expanded upon by other users and have developed themes, such as "Monorail Cat", "Ceiling/Basement Cat", and "Invisible (object)". This solidifies their postmodernism; their playful use of language and image, along with their strong egalitarian forum of expression, also contribute strongly.

BBC: Religion [Postmodernism]. (2009, October 27). Retrieved December 7, 2009,from BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/atheism/types/postmodernism.shtml An article on the BBC's Web site discusses how postmodernity "does away with many of the very things that religious people regard as essential." Although there is only a small portion of this article that really speaks to the connection between postmodernity and religion, the little that is said is quite thought provoking. This article is not something to use as a source for a project, but would be a great jumping off point when brainstorming where to go with the religion and postmodern connection. The article brings up the postmodern rejection of the "grand theory" of religion. It examines the idea that religion may become fragmented because the unity once inherent between social and cultural values during modernism is gradually being readjusted. The article goes on to explain that by reexamining religion in the postmodern era, people are beginning to question its validity more so than ever before. They are thus beginning to reject past beliefs and turning to "new age" religions.

Armstrong, E. G. , 2005-08-12 "The Postmodern Drive: The Case of NASCAR" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Marriott Hotel, Loews Philadelphia Hotel, Philadelphia, PA Online . 2009-05-25 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p19150_index.html Edward Armstrong, a professor of sociology at Murray State University, presented a paper to the American Sociological Association that labeled NASCAR as a postmodern sport. In the paper he explains how the sport of NASCAR developed and how the conventional idea of simply having cars race around a track transformed into having these same cars become billboards on wheels. He also details a "postmodern remaking of the sacred" when he refers to how fans of the sport idolize drivers, turning them into gods, so to speak. The modern idea of having a specific social order does not include worshiping sports or athletes. In this vein, sports instead provide experience that is separate from the religious spheres. However, postmodern athletes have changed this relationship. Basically, in modernism athletes were seen as people playing games, but in postmodern culture, Armstrong believes that hero worship of NASCAR drivers, for example, as exceeded anything seen in modern sports. Armstrong presents an interesting case regarding something most would not take very seriously at face value. He connects the dots very well.

This book by Frederick Levy explores the phenomenon that YouTube has become in our world. He addresses YouTube's history, as well as the direction in which the viral video craze is headed. One section of particular interest is titled, "Culture Shock." Levy presents an interesting idea of community through the Web. The thing that makes the YouTube revolution so post-modern is the fact that a sense of community develops through the internet. People around the world can interact and connect with one another with virtually no face-to-face contact. This trend breaks down social norms and cultural expectations previously placed on a community.

This article deals with the latest phenomenon of sexting which the author considers to be the post modern form of flirting. Sexting seems to have not only shaped the younger generation but it has played a part in how younger kids regard erotic situations. It also examines the ways in which the technology advancements of today have shaped the way the younger generation approaches pornography and how the mobile ability of cell phones makes it so much easier to engage in such activity. "21st century media technology makes everyone a moviemaker, distributor and presenter. Sexting makes everyone, including teenagers, pornographers." This alone shows how post modern sexting is in that there is no longer a hierarchy. Now the masses have the control and are able to decide what the content is which affirms the idea that everyone, by way of user generated content, is able to do what they please and even have their fifteen minutes of fame or in this case, fifteen minutes of exposure.

This is a great site to start at if you're looking to learn more about postmodernism. The site provides useful definitions of postmodernism from trusted and well nown dictionaries, including Merriam-Webster. The site also explains several ways in which the term is used within literature, drama, architecture, etc. There is a lengthy and highly informative section on the history of the term postmodernism as it was first used and continues to be used. Although many use the words postmodernity and postmodernism interchangeably this site clearly explains the difference between the two. There are also sections devoted to postmodern architecture, postmodern music, and notable philosophical and literary contributors; as well as deconstruction, social construction, and criticisms of postmodernism.