Global Digital Postmodernity

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.

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.

The Group Improv Everywhere is postmodern because it takes theater out of the domain of a room with a stage and into the streets but that is not the only reason it is post modern, the performance itself (for the most part) is not staged but simply an idea. Another reason is that the people who participate in the missions find out about the event on the internet using a technology that is post modern because besides the internet there is no other way to find out about the missions or to see them unless someone captures it on a camera and then posts it on a website like Youtube. The main mission of the group was to bring performance art out of the theater and while that has always been around the general chaos (be it good or bad) and lack of plan that occurs in an event is what makes it post modern.

Steven Best and Douglas Kellner provide a concise explanation of just what postmodernity is in the introduction of their book. This section, appropriately titled, "Between the Modern and the Postmodern," explains how our culture has transitioned between the two. Cultural definitions, structures, and ideals are being transformed in all aspects of life. These changes are due largely in part to the growth of technology and the way it is presented and used. "Bombardment" and "fragmentation" are two poignant and descriptive words that accurately summarize how postmodern society experiences day-to-day life. The title of the book also clues the reader in to the authors' opinion of postmodernity. It is an adventure. One that has many more advancements ahead of it.

This website provides 9 main techniques/elements used and found in postmodern pieces of theatre, as well as providing a brief history of the movement. However, it also warns that postmodern theatre tends to reject labels of genre and style, so that none of the techniques may be present in a particular play and it could still be considered a postmodern piece. The unifying postmodern thread, instead, is that they are tools to make audiences raise questions and reflect on their own lives and experiences. Along with providing these definitions, the site also offers some examples of landmark postmodern pieces, such as Sam Shepard's "Buried Child" and Onzo Production's "Fuerza Bruta", and provides links to learn more about them.

This website was created by students at the University of Alabama. It has basic definitions of the concept, examples, criticisms and comparisons with modernity. The chart that compares postmodernity and modernity is very lucid. Extensive bibliography.

For sometime, it has been accepted that biology and the study of life has lost significance and touch with particular aspects of life. This article suggests that this is not the case. If one was to study the work of several "cyberscience" scientists, one finds that technology is in fact is able to open entire new avenues of study in relation to biology. A few examples are the study of God as well as sex, specifically as a substitution for God. These two subjects have created much tension in the scientific as well as theological communities. This article looks at the biological results of these issues. Although the issues studied may be controversial, the scientific and technological advancements that made them possible cannot be. In a Post Modern era, we take things as common as biology, and use our ever-progressing modes of technology to study concepts that were once thought to be completely unrelated to the sciences.

Sexting has become a culture phenomenon, but what is it exactly? This website describes it as sending pictures or photographs of explicit nature electronically. They have surfaced as a result of the advancement in technology in communication. The article reports that sexting appeared as early as 2005. Cases of sexting have been reported in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Many legal cases have been filed in the United States, where child pornography charges have been brought up. Depending on the nature of the "sext," charges can constitute a fine, or a misdemeanor. According to the article, sexting has also appeared in popular culture, such as the television drama program Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

David Harvey claims that the concept of the time-space compression is "likely the root of the post modern condition." The time-space compression is basically what it sounds like. With the advancement of technology, time and space are no longer feats for people. We can communicate with anyone around the globe and the communication can be instantaneous. While at one point in time we had to send letters, and then eventually phone calls, we can now do things such as "skyping," and other modes of communication that simulate a lack of time lapse and special distance. This website also talks about the megalopolis, or large, continuous metropolitan city, which is a "product of the phenomenon of universalization." Paul Ricoeur comments that while "this may be an advancement, it may also be destructive."

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 website discusses what post modernity is as well as the various perceptions that different point of views have on the subject matter. The website talks about how the term first came to be with architecture in 1971 and from there has spawned a whole new genre of books, movies, art, and many others. The main points of view the website contains are the Marxist point of view, the non-Marxists who are critics of the idea of post modernity, and the sociologist who see postmodern aspects of everything around them. It then goes into describing how post modernity influences subjects such as post structuralism, which involves the books having meaning beyond that which the author meant it to have, and many other aspects of human life such as society and politics. The last section deals with why post modernity is a problem because it can be argued that post modernity puts an end to progress. Overall, this website gives an excellent look in to the depths that post modernity can reach in all aspects of life and whether or not such a change will be detrimental to our society.