Global Digital Postmodernity

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 As a postmodern concept, face to face communication is obsolete.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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

"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.

A video documentation of the planning and execution of one of the most successful and famous flash mobs in history. The group Improv Everywhere, known for their flash mob stunts, rose to fame with this "mission"- having all the participants go into Grand Central Station in New York City and freeze for several minutes, then resume regular life without a blink. Using elements of performance art and postmodern theatre, as well as an extensive use of various technologies to pull it all off, this playful stunt is a prime example of the postmodern flash mob phenomenon.

Here, on Lady Gaga's official youtube channel, can be found all of her official music videos, as well as live performances, interviews, behind the scenes videos, and video messages from Gaga to her fans. A single viewing of any one of her music videos, and you will know you're watching something beyond that of your typical pop star. With her blending of performance art, intense theatrics, technology, wild fashion, futuristic elements, playfulness, fluid sexuality and sexual orientation, and with her rise as a pop culture phenomenon, Lady Gaga, as evidenced in her youtube videos, has become all things postmodern.

The MP3 Experiment is a mission designed by the group Improv Everywhere where participants all started in one location and listened to an MP3 track designed by the group. The participants were then told to perform tasks such as following around a german tourist or having a battle in the field of bats versus hammers. The idea of this mission created by Charlie Todd a graduate of the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, the creator of Improv Everywhere was to allow participants to have a unique and enjoyable experience. This video has ties to post modernity because it uses technology as a method of organization and communication, because the entire mission was set up online and there was no face-to-face individual interaction. Another aspect of this video that was postmodern was that the mission's art was in the creating of art and not the art itself like in modern works where only the viewers experienced it, but the participants experienced it as well.

Whether you think flash mobs are postmodern or not, and there is much debate over it, the different ways that flash mobs are used can also be post modern or modern. A company using the idea of a flashmob to sell their product is a typically modern idea used my advertising and marketing agencies. On the other hand, a company such as T-Mobile participating in the flash mobs phenomenon is more postmodern. Their flash mobs are large, quirky and people of all ages and sizes can participate. They don't leave a bad commercial-after taste in your mouth, but instead, make you want to share what you just observed. Just as the T Mobile commercial says: Life is for sharing, and like normal flashmob, they are creating something to share. Post modernity is sometimes referred to as a reply to modernity, and these T Mobile flash mobs could be a reply to the modern way of using flash mobs, saying "hey look, we can play too without tarnishing the essence of the original!"

The above exert gives an interesting theory on how the postmodern era and economy are parallel to that of the Middle Ages. One of the points made is the lack of authority and control. "The Middle Ages lacked the singular relationship between authority and territory characteristic of the modern era; geographic location did not determine identity and loyalty (Hirst and Thompson, 1995; Spruyt, 1994) . Overlapping and competing political authorities were the norm rather than the exception (Kobrin 12)." This is similar to the current economy existing on the internet. It is possible to buy basically anything from dvds to drugs on the internet and the government has no way of controlling it. In modern times, the only way to buy something was from a store. Now with the world wide web, it is possible to buy everything on the internet, even weekly groceries or a couch from India. The exert also discusses the idea of how "the clear separation between the private and public realms and the very idea of distinct private and public property may be tied to a specific, perhaps exceptional, historical era. The distinction was not relevant in pre-modern times and it may not be relevant in the postmodern future (Kobrin 25)." I think this applies well to global digital postmodernism if you consider the pictures on the web and all the information available to the masses.

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.

This "fail" video also displays characteristics of postmodernity. Most fail videos are of people falling down or hurting themselves, but this one shows a very private moment between a son and mother "discussing" god. Just as the video reaches a high point of intensity, and you think the mother is going to really get angry and maybe violent, the maker of the movie cuts away to a cat playing a peppy piano tune. This is very ironic and, as the Modern and Postmodern: Contrasting Tendencies chart would call it, a direct challenge "to official seriousness", or the discussion of "is there a god?". It could also be postmodern because the mother plays right into the idea of surface value over depth: she thinks telling her son that he can't get Christmas presents will some how change his mind. If you look below at the comments, this one video spurred a discussion between (one must assume) strangers who only know each other by there screen-names, but are having a calm discussion about religion themselves, compared to the heated discussion in the video.

"Gattaca" (1997) is a movie that, to me, exemplifies several postmodern features. The link is to the Wikipedia page about the movie and gives a detailed synopsis. The movie deals with the idea of genetic engineering. In "a not-too-distant future" all discrimination upon race, gender and religion will be forgotten, and thanks to scientific advances, people will only be judged upon their genes. This is a postmodern idea that depicts the importance of surface appearance, and not depth and meaning. In the movie, the main character goes for an interview, which surprisingly to him consisted only of a simple blood test. The company did not care about his personality or goals or past education like a normal interview, only about his genes and any risks of diseases. Since race is no longer an issue, "Gattaca" also contains the postmodern characteristic of disunity of nationalities and ethnicity. Instead, the only thing that decides who you associate with, work with, and even marry, are your genes and weather or not you were genetically engineered (which is more valued).

This is an article which defines seven different characteristics of postmodernity. The wording helps readers to be able to understand and not become frustrated, as postmodernity is a large and sometimes confusing topic. The characteristics are on a general basis not necessarily individual yet still capture the large, important, and most obvious components to this period of time that we are currently living in and trying to understand. The article also notes that many readers will only relate to some of the characteristics and not all and that is okay, making the article an even easier read knowing there is room for disagreement or change.

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.