Global Digital Postmodernity

This website looks at the beginning of post modernity and how it has come to define a rather complex society. In order to show just how complex post modernity can be, the website tries to simplify it by first looking at how it was first applied in architecture. It also regards the importance of post modernity in art and how it had a fundamental impact on philosophy where it led to the development of new ideas. It tries to make clear distinctions, though a difficult task, between modernity and postmodernity. This site also emphasizes key components that define post modernity such as fragmentation, blurred boundaries between right and wrong, and complexity. It further goes on to discuss how this fragmentation is seen in the relationship between culture and media, and how that affects the society at large.

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 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.

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.

The article, "The Postmodern Novel", starts off by giving good definitions of what pre-modernism, modernism, and post-modernism are and how exactly they can be applied to literature. The author says that pre-modernism assumes that the man is ruled by authority or tradition, modernism is influenced by humanism and the Enlightenment, man rejects tradition and authority in favor of a reliance on reason and on scientific discovery, and post-modernism stretches and breaks away from the idea that man can achieve understanding through a reliance on reason and science. Lastly, some examples as to what exactly can be considered post-modernism in literature are given, such as a playfulness with language, experimentation with the form of the novel, and a mixture of "high art" and popular culture.

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.

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.

The article "Postmodernism in Poetry" starts off by giving you a little history of the idea of postmodernism as applied to poetry by saying that it began in the sixties, when there developed on both sides of the Atlantic a feeling that poetry had become too ossified, backward-looking and restrained. Next, the article delves into the 4 characteristics of postmodernism which the author feels are most relevant to poetry, iconoclasm, groundlessness, formlessness, and populism. Finally, a very detailed explanation as to why all four of these characteristics are important for poetry is given. At the very end, a list of about 15 authors who are considered to be postmodern poets is given. Personally, I feel that this is very important because it is hard to determine what is or isn't postmodern, so having a list of authors is helpful for someone who wants to be sure that they are reading postmodern poetry.

This article goes into detail regarding Post Modern thought in Poetry. Citing a backlash of the overly-processed, restrained poetry dating before the 1960s, Post Modern poetry was a backlash. Post Modernity has little to no boundaries, it makes sense to see it occur in Poetry, which also can come in many different forms. Poetry can be extremely structured or rambling and incoherent. It is described as "free-wheeling creations constructed of a language that largely points to itself." There are four aspects of Post Modern Poetry listed within. Iconoclasm, groundlessness, formlessness and populism. A sub-category under Iconoclasm would be "contradicts the expected, often deliberately alienating the reader." Nothing better than feeling alienated when one is reading what is written to be read. Also "subverts its sources by parody, irony and pastiche" and "denounces ethnic, gender and cultural repression." Groundlessness includes "regards both art and life as fictions, sometimes mixing the two in magic realism or multiple endings" and "argues that meaning is indeterminate, denying a final or preferred interpretation." Many scholars would love the idea of multiple endings, while getting headaches from the fact that there may not being one single interpretation. Formlessness includes aspects of poetry that have been seen many times lately, "fragments texts, turning them into collages or montages." Populism is what makes these forms appealing to the masses. These poems reject elite thoughts, and often focus on ideas that go across a wide spectrum. It "avoids the serious and responsible, promoting the arbitrary and playful."

The art and popular culture encyclopedia's article on postmodern architecture is valuable when trying to gain insight into what defines postmodernity. "Postmodern Architecture" begins by defining postmodernity, and explaining that as with many cultural movements, it's "most visible ideas can be seen architecture". This article not only gives examples of postmodern architecture but explains the architecture's relevance to postmodernity. By explaining postmodernism architecture's relationship, or moreover, contrast to previous styles of architecture, the authors have also explained an implied contrast to previous aspects of culture, art, and philosophy. The article also focuses on the aims and characteristics of postmodernism as a whole and postmodernism as seen in architecture. Furthermore, the authors give background information as well as detailed information of Robert Venturi, a frontrunner of the postmodern architectural movement. The foremost campaigner of the rebellion against modern architecture, Venturi's architecture possesses almost each and every characteristic of postmodern architecture, making him a prime example.

An article that examines the conceot of postmodernism as a time period that follows modernity and challenges its ideas, using argument and examples. Author is a professor at Emory University. Short Bibliograpphy.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

In the beginning of this article, the author gives a little background as to how postmodernism has emerged, she feels, starting in the 1980's. She thinks that the very general term of Postmodernism is hard to define, because it is a concept that appears in a wide variety of disciplines or areas of study, including art, architecture, music, film, literature, sociology, communications, fashion, and technology. She feels that there cannot be just one definition to the term "postmodernism", and that there needs to be separate definitions for each discipline. Next, she tells you that she thinks the easiest way of trying to think about postmodernism, and what it really is, is by simply thinking of it as coming after modernism. After that, she tells you some of the basic characteristics of postmodernism, specifically as applied to literature, and makes it relatively easy to understand.

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 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."

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.