Baudrillard and

Postmodernism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTrP4KddptI
Before postmodernism
o Traditional representation of media
o Things were structured out for us, making life predictable
o We knew who we were, how we lived our lives and we would have a clear identity
o Firm beliefs about the nature of things
Postmodernism
o Makes new referring to the old
o They invent new media by copying the old
o It can often be hilarious or absolutely terrifying
o It can be created by anyone
Features of Postmodernism
o Truth is relative
o Consumerism
o Transformation of the self (pick 'n' mix)
o Disillusionment with the idea of progress
o Uncertainty
o Fragmentation of social life
o Incessant choice
o Globalisation
oThe impact of ICT on social life
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 relationships
to the real world
We live in a hyper-realities in which appearances are
everything
Image is everything
Postmodernism and the media
Postmodernists see society as characterised by lots of diversity and loads of preserved freedom
Because of media and the way we consume it we have become massively globalised. Without the
internet we would be involved in our small world such as the village you live in
Define the identity in terms of media imagery ‘I shop therefore I am’
What we buy defines you as a person
Everyday in the west we see 400-500 adverts a day
People are creating their own identity through looking at other people and adverts
We are constantly surrounded by media
People will spend more time watching TV than reading a book
People watch about 26 hours of TV a week (2014)
Screenager
The digital divide – different social classes will consume different media and will effect how much
media they consume
Postmodernism illustrated – 'Disneyland'
o Disneyland is a simulacra – it is a simulated reality
o It is an artificial world but yet is real
o It is a place that is accepted and exists because our imagination makes it
o The fine line between reality and fantasy is so much 'greyer'
o The power of the symbol over substance
Postmodernism illustrated - 'Reality TV'
o Reality TV illustrates the interchange between the consumer and the media
o They are 'real people' who can be observed and scrutinised
oThey do not entertain - rather than exist... they are a mish-mash of CCTV
surveillance and gameshow
o In the real world they are just talentless nobody's who are treated as stars
Garrod 2004 and the media
He claims that we:
o identify more with media images than we do with our own experiences
o are more involved on social media than what we do in real life. – we make friends
and speak to people who we don’t know more over social media
4 stages of simulation
The 4 stage process of destablising and replacing reality
1. Faithful -
2. Perversion- When you manipulate the reality
3. Pretence- Presenting this reality
4. Pure-
Postmodernism and style
1. Emphasis on the centrality of style, at the expense of substance
2. Recycling past cultures and styles – Pastiche
3. Celebration of complexity and contradiction. Mixture of high and low culture
4. Intertextuality – different styles
5. Rejection of monolithic definitions of culture – celebrate pluralism and diversity
6. Decline of the idea that there is only one source of meaning (truth)
Intertextuality in music videos
Robbie Williams – ‘ You know me ‘
The artist is being taken to a Alice in wonderland like setting with him being dressed
like the rabbit from the film, creating intertextuality from the music video to the film.
Katie Perry – ‘Last Friday Night’
At the start of this music video there are credits and also towards the end there is
also credits. This intertextualities the style of a film.
Taylor Swift – ‘Love Story’
The lyrics talk about Romeo and Juliette. The video is a modernised version of the film
relating more to the lyrics of the song.
Key terms
Media saturation - The constant exposure to all types of mass media and the absorption of all
the information
Screenagers – Teenagers or young adults that are obsessed with their smartphones or
screens
Simulacra- Simulation of reality
Hyper-reality – the inability to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality
Postmodernists
The digital divide -
Simulation (4 stages) -
Proliferation
High art
Low art
Mash up