What is postmodernism?

Two time periods - GOOD OLD DAYS babys get christened, life was
predictable, firm beliefs, clear identity, things were well structured.
Modern age Good old days
Production, community life, social
class, family, a belief in continuity
and situation, role of education, a
one way media, overt social
control, nationhood, science aided
progress, finding the truth

Structure/security/place/stability
You know who you were

Postmodern age
Consumption, fragmentation
(individualism), identity from other
sources, families (many options),
breakage with past/tradition,
education for what, duality of life
(interchange / choice),covert
control (cctv), global, science is
only one source of knowledge
plurality of truths now
Confusion/lack of
structure/incessant choice
You create who you want to be

Key features
Truth is relative
Consumerism is all want, want, want!! society children xmas
MATERIALISM
Transformation of the self (pick n mix) / globalisation
Disillusionment with the idea of progress / impact of ICT on social
life
Uncertainty, incessant choice / fragmentation of social life
Post Modernism
Modern age has lost desire for enlightenment (dont want to know
truth)
People less likely to follow ridged ideology
Greater pluralism is modern life no absolutes
Cultures/structures are fragment less predictable
Tradition labels or categories - loss relevance
We recreate the past and blend it with the present (films) think its
true
Globalisation has narrowed time and space
Jacques Derrida
Logocentrism = all forms of thought are based on an external point
of reference which is held to exist and given a certain degree of
authority
Modernism = logocentrism
Post modernsits this and argue that trying to tell the big story is
now impossible
Social structure is in a state of flux (flowing)

All meaning is now relative and socially constructed individual tells

you what in means; you believe it.
Reality is fragile and confusing

Jean

Francois Lyotard (1984(

Society has helped destroy the metanarratives
All metanarratives are simplistic and reductionist
We should focus on playing language games to explore the many
narratives that exist
Knowledge is no longer a tool of the authorities we have
choice/freedom
Actions/ideas are now judged on how useful they are rather than
how true they are
Metanarrative or grand narrative or mater narrative is a term coined
by Lyotard to mean a theory that tries to give a totalizing,
comprehensive account to various historical events/creation
Jean Baudrillard
We are constantly surrounded by an ecstasy of communication
and that communication is sickening
We are now just customers whose desires are created by the
media
We pursue the images attached to the products
Simulacra make believe goods which bear no relationship to
the real world
We live in hyper-realities in which appearances are everything
IMAGE IS EVERYTHING

Reality TV
Illustrates the interchange between the consumer and the media
They are real people who can be observed and scrutinized
They do not entertain rather than exist mish mash of cctv
surveillance and game show
In the real world they are talentless nobodies who are treated as
stars