Global Digital Postmodernity

A webcomic is a comic strip syndicated by the author himself through the internet. XKCD is a particularly witty webcomic that tends to make light of trends in the digital world and/or popular culture, notably science fiction. The disclaimer on the site warns, "this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)." It blurs the modernist's line between disciplines; math and the sciences, traditionally serious subjects, are treated with as much respect as is usually reserved for die-hard academics of literature or philosophy. It is also interesting in that the author supports himself entirely through the sale of XKCD related merchandise, usually featuring some kind of reference or punchline from a particular comic. While the webcomic might just be a digital representation of a modern idea, the critical acclaim and level of humor apparent in XKCD lend itself to being a very postmodern comic.

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.

Engaging in a very interesting and often avoided topic of religion, "Exploring Christianity-Truth-Postmodernism", not only gives a religious definition of postmodernism but also explains the impact postmodernism has had on religion, especially Christianity. This article embraces postmodernism in reference to religion, explaining that "postmodernism does not rule out religion as did modernism." The article seems to almost congratulate postmodernism for its ideas, as many of these ideas are congruent to some religious ideas. The article discusses morality as being relative in both religion and in postmodernity, and also explains how tolerance (a key point in defining postmodernity according to the authors) also relates to religious views. The article also emphasizes individualism as it pertains to postmodernism. Furthermore, it discusses the relevance of the "rewriting of history" as seen in postmodernism to Christianity. Consequently, the article in beneficial in that it provides the reader with definitions, quotes from both scholars and priests, and links to other articles about religion, truth, postmodernism and new age thinking among others.

In the very beginning of the article, the author states that he feels there is no exact definition of what post-modernity is, so the fact that all of these controversies and conflictions between people about what is or isn't postmodern is no surprise to him. However, he thinks that defining what is simply a characteristic of post-modernity, is a relatively exact science. For this article, he decides to give a few examples of what a postmodern characteristic is, in general, and then goes right into how these characteristics can be applied to dance and how the institution of dance has developed over the years. Some of the general characteristics are of post-modernity are self-referencing, mocking, ironic, parody, and a mixture of "high art" and "low art". Some of the characteristics of post-modernity as applied specifically to dance are vernacular movement and dress, more emphasis on image, and less on plot, and a mixing of genres. This article is great because it is a short read, but there is a lot of very helpful information compacted into a little space so none of your energy and time will go to waste.

This website examines the dangers of sexting and just how this phenomenon of sexting has rapidly developed over a short period of time. It shows that the majority of the problems lies in the fact that this sexting is occurring between young adults or teenagers. What is most notable about this site is the connection it makes between sexting and a component of postmodernity. The website views sexting as an act of isolation and detachment which is often considered to be a major aspect of postmodernity. These teens that are engaging in sexting perhaps feel that this act of sending lewd pictures, texts, and videos poses less of a risk and emotional attachment, thereby contributing to this idea of isolation. Another key component of this website is that it looks at the idea of pornography and how our digital age has allowed it to grow and prosper among the younger generation and in doing so, it emphasizes the negative side effects to such a tremendously technological advanced society.

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.

In most recent episode Post Modernity is addressed. It features and man and a woman, who are obsessed with looking and acting just like Ken and Barbie. They have both even gotten their nipples removed in their attempt to be as close to their plastic counterparts as possible. They refer to this relationship as the "post modern couple." Apparently the post modern couple does not engage in any sort of physical interaction, leaving the emotions to solidify what is lacking physically. It's always fun to see topics incorporated into the mainstream media, especially with a show that errs on the side of vulgar. Once the male "Ken" realizes he is gay, he finds another doll-enthusiast, who models himself after G.I. Joe. They again refer to themselves as the "Post-Modern" couple. Perhaps this is in reference to them being gay. Homosexual relationships are gradually becoming more and more accepted as each day passes. And maybe nipple-removing, doll-emulating people are the perfect example on just how strange Post Modern, without limits, can get.

Being skeptic of the supernatural, i.e. God, is considered a Modern aspect. Taking that a step further, Postmoderns are "skeptical of any and all claims to an authoritative comprehensive worldview, absolute truth about reality, and an overarching purpose to the human story." They're basically saying that they dismiss too much structure. The Church, as an institution, would be far too structured, on top of the idea of a supernatural God. There are too many pieces of life that are connected, even controlled by the presence of a religious establishment. The theory of how we were created, for what purpose, how we should lead our lives, and what happens to us at the end of our lives would be too much for a postmodern thinker "In short, it could be said that religious metanarratives were dismissed by modernism. Man-made ones are dismissed by postmodernism." Therefore it is easy to see, via this article, that without Modernism, we would have no Post Modernism. Though this seems basic enough, and simple to understand, one must realize that in order to determine what is Post Modern, one must always consider if it is Modern first. This is a very hard thing for people to grasp, but this article does make it a little clearer to understand, and does lay things out to make it a little easier. This article also goes about trying to determine where Modernism began and ended, and where Post Modernism did the same.

This article on JSTOR seeks to define the line between Modernity and Post Modernity...without calling it a line. "On the one hand 'post-modernism' is seen as abstract, exotic, fanciful: on the other, it is everyday, experienced, intimate." The abstract from the article itself claims that it argues "that such polarizing metaphors are distinctions that cannot be made without self-contradictions that would make even a post-modernist blush. Instead, we must deconstruct the notion of boundary or border…" Most important to this journal is the idea that there are no boundaries or borders because simply naming things as such is not Post Modern at all. The Modern way of thinking is just in love with categories and lists and the like, whereas to put Post Modernity on one side of a list or the other would negate the idea of studying Post Modernity. "The ambition of the article is to explore a way of deconstructing the unspeakable 'slash' between modernism/post-modernism that can model how similar arguments may be deployed against a wide range of educational topics where questions of identity and difference are brought to the fore, such as equal opportunities, special needs, antiracism, as well as more mundane categories of pupil or teacher-or researcher-identity."

Post Modernity, though a seemingly ambiguous term, has been applied to your everyday lives in this article. The phrase "after modernity" makes it seem as though it is impossible to be used in any sense other than a futuristic one, but as this article shows, it can actually be applied to history, biblical interpretations, and today's healthcare. There are nine listed topics: Education, healthcare, history, religion, literature law and government, biblical interpretation, science, and, psychotherapy. This page on the site makes Post Modernity relatable outside of a philosophical, highly intellectual atmosphere. According to the document, the post-modern thinker does not need to accept or follow or even believe in any religion, but will stop any one religion from silencing another. Everyone has an equal chance. The topic on Education claims that teachers no longer hand out information, but merely give children the means to gather information themselves. This is incredibly true. The article claims that Post Modernism will be encountered by everyone on a daily basis and gives the nine examples to prove it.

The youtube channel of the internet sensation Miranda. A fictional character created by a college theatre major searching for her big break, Miranda has become an internet celebrity seemingly overnight, with her outrageous performances of popular songs and delusional instructional singing videos. Since the character was created over a year ago, she has since booked concerts and appearances all over the world, thanks to the technology of youtube, facebook, twitter, and a lot of shameless self promotion. She's become a viral video phenomenon and an excellent example of the fifteen minutes of fame in the postmodern era.

This article is written by an English professor with the intent of simplifying the definition and components of post modernity. While defining post modernity can be difficult since it is quite an ambiguous term, the author comes up with a list (which isn't necessarily postmodern) to show the differences between modernity and post modernity to break down both the confusion and complexity of it. He claims that the very fact that defining post modernity is such a difficult task helps make it post modern in of itself. The author further discusses post modernity and applies it to specific areas like human nature and art.

What is more postmodern than being updated on multiple people's lives in a matter of seconds. Twitter is a site that allows just that. Users are allowed to share what they are doing with their lives in 160 characters or less. The posts are instant and gives people the possibility and knowing a person's every move. This site depicts how communication and the value of privacy have changed within the postmodern era. As a postmodern concept, face to face communication is obsolete. Why talk to someone to find them when their Twitter gives second by second updates of their entire day? More importantly why is this person posting this information and why do so many people follow them to discover what the posts will say? These are questions that do not need to be answered in a postmodern society because they are the norm.

This video helps show how the view of fame has changed as it becomes part of the post modern era. It depicts how Richard Heany potentially used his six year old son to attempt to gain national recognition. It was rumored that this former Wife Swaps contestant planning to create a new reality show in which he and his scientific experiments would be the star. Heany did anything he could to attempt to gain the fleeting attention of today's population. He utilized the sympathetic and curious natures of people and manipulated them in an attempt to make himself a household name.

The webpage "The Postmodern Critique of Science" gives a helpful chart comparing the traditional scientific principle and the postmodern critique of that traditional scientific principle. The chart includes topics such as scientific progress, scientific objectivity, scientific rationality and many more. It explains and defines what each of these principles are and then proceeds to give a postmodern take on each of them. It takes such ideas as "Scientists are supposed to be objective observers" and battles it through a postmodern approach saying that "Observations do not interpret themselves. They are interpreted by a mind and the biases of any particular person or group conducting the experiment." The article continues in this manner, challenging ideas like the scientific method with postmodern views that contradict it. While giving specific rebuttals to each scientific principle, the article allows the reader to gain insight into how a postmodernist would think. It shows how postmodernists question what has always been thought of to be true and contradict old "modern" ideas with new insightful ways of thinking.

This video, most likely made by college students, is a very simple approach to postmodernism. Within the video concepts such as universal conflicts are brought up and then somewhat explained. This video is somewhat difficult to follow but that is part of what makes it so appropriate to represent the post modern era. This video is a satire, it is fragmented, ironic and the concepts are farsical. It simplifies the idea of postmodernity and shows what it means to be postmodern.

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.

This is truly a symphony for the new millennium. YouTube, a global property, asked the musicians of its community, of which there were plenty, to send in videos of themselves playing a certain audition piece. The best from around the world were flown in to play a concert at Carnegie Hall. Submissions were received from every continent (except Antarctica), digitally, and the traditional hierarchy of trained and professional musicians was disrupted. The YSO: the Postmodern Symphony Orchestra.

Wikipedia, a project of the Wikimedia foundation, is an online, free-access encyclopedia designed so that any user can contribute to any article. Although the site tends to be panned for the possibility of deliberate disruption, properly sourced articles are often as good or better than older encyclopedias; Wikipedia also enjoys the potential benefits of being absolutely current, having articles edited as new information arises. This radical restructuring of the traditional academic hierarchy, and the reduction of time before current accuracy is achieved, makes Wikipedia (and its related projects: WikiNews, Wiktionary, Wikimedia Commons, etc) postmodern.

"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.