Global Digital Postmodernity

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.

This site lets readers know that postmodernity is our current period of history and that it is hugely complex, partly because of the division of critics on what postmodern culture is. It then tells us that postmodernism consists of critics attempting to rethink concepts held in the Enlightenment or Modernist eras. The entire website is helpful but a bit long so in order to simply separate modernity and postmodernity readers can scroll down to the last two sections. Both sections list aspects of those time periods, though we are still currently in postmodernity. There is slight overlap among the two but the differences are brought out in the descriptions of the different aspects.

This site discusses literature, visual art, architecture, and music and dance in terms of how they have become postmodern through the changing times. The point of high and low art forms and how they almost seem to be one today is mentioned multiple times in the descriptions of works becoming postmodern in today's society. By reading the site a more concrete example of postmodernity comes to light in seeing the "then and now" aspects. The site describes each aspect and generally compares it to modernity so that the two can be separated and postmodernity understood.

This site is one that sparks the postmodernist debate on issues such as copyright, intellectual property, etc. It is a video sharing/upload site for the masses by the masses. (Note: I have only included the homepage, any other page should be allowed.)

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.

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.

Nagrant, M. (2006, October 3). Reflections in the Pond Back to "basics" with Bruce Sherman . Newcity Chicago. Retrieved from http://www.newcitychicago.com/chicago/5773.html A writer for Newcity Chicago discussed how postmodernity has changed the way food is made and presented in up-scale restaurants. He does not see the change as good by any means. He writes, "some of today's restaurant food feels a lot closer to industrial chewing gum than the farm." His belief is that the combination of postmodernism and culinary technique is threatening the association between food and comfort. The author makes his point in a sort of roundabout and slightly confusing way. However, what he is trying to say is that postmodernism and all of its fragmentation, conflicting identities and loss of order and control is destroying food. He explains that chefs are going the postmodern route and pairing things together that don't belong. This loss of control and rampant experimentation, where function (or taste) is not so much a concern, makes food lose its comfort factor. The wild and crazy experiments inherent in postmodern architecture and art do not create very good results in the kitchen.

R.E.M. (2009, July 24). R.E.M - Orange Crush (Official Music Video) [Video file]. Retrieved from YouTube.com database. In 1989 and 1990 MTV awarded an artist with a Video Music Award for Best Post-Modern Video. R.E.M. won the award in 1989 for its "Orange Crush" video. The video is a very striking example of postmodernity because it depicts fragmentation, conflicting identities and a decentered self. This is in sharp contrast to the modern ideas of a unified identity and unified, centered self. The video shows two characters, one is a young boy and the other a young adult. The faces of the two are not shown until nearly the end of the video. The video is black and white. The scenes flash from one character to the other and it is unclear if the two characters are the same person, brothers or not related at all. It is very indistinct what the message of the video is, if there is one. Again, this is a perfect example of the fragmentation often apparent in postmodern works of art and the lack of explanation that often follows suit.

Flashmob richtet Chaos in Supermarkt an [Video file]. (2009, October 1). Retrieved from YouTube.com database. This video depicts German supermarket workers staging a protest using a Flash Mob. In order to convey their wish to get free wages and better working conditions, the union members filled shopping carts full of products and left them in the aisles. They then passed out cards that stated what they desired from their employees. This is a great example of postmodernity because a group of people is taking something (Flash Mobs) and using it in a completely different way than it was intended. Flash Mobs were originally intended, or at least viewed as something fun and chaotic. They were by no means considered a serious form of expression when it came to real concerns. However, by turning a Flash Mob into a form of protest, the people involved are challenging official seriousness. There is no longer the modern solemnity of intention and purpose. These postmodern protests utilize unconventional means to get their messages across.

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.