Exploring Postmodernism

Reflection #4

Postmodernism is about exploring every permutation of an idea that you can. In the pursuit of possibilities, the idea of what truth is also changes. The pursuit of a singular truth is a modernist approach. However, postmodernism views reality as having many truths, even at the same time. Each person’s perspective is one truth in a sea of many. Perspectives are shaped by the culture individuals are raised in and their personal experiences. Viewpoints never fully reflect reality because humans rely on the capacity of their senses and reasoning skills. Postmodernists focus on the newest understandings, how we achieved those understandings, and how they could evolve.

The internet provides a way for people to exchange information at rates like never before. Culture changes quickly as viral media rises and falls in popularity. There is a continuous proliferation of ideas that are then challenged or built upon. Postmodernism allows the conversation to keep going. While postmodernism focuses on divergence of thought, modernism fixates on convergence. Being consistent with itself, postmodernism does not have a final definition. Modernism has an end goal of arriving at the truth so the conversation can end.

People come together with their wildly different versions of the truth and express it on social media. Often, the “reality” constructed on the profile of the social media user differs from how they may seem in the physical world. People have more control over their image over the Internet in comparison to face-to-face. Their bio, profile picture, posts, pictures, location, etc are all controlled by the user, and it’s not always the same version as the person in other contexts. Perhaps the profile picture is a perfectly-angled photo with a filter over it or a picture of their favorite character, but neither is a representation of the user in the physical realm. Social media allows for even complete anonymity if the person constructs a pseudonym and leaves out identifying information, allowing them to perhaps express themselves in a different way than they can in other contexts. A modernist would try to pick which identity captures the “true” self. On the other hand, postmodernism acknowledges that each representation of a person on different platforms is true at the same time. This model helps us to understand how social media, with its different rules than the physical world, can depict different realities.

Meme culture, facilitated by the Internet, works largely within a postmodern framework. Web theorist George Ritzer maintains that “the Internet is a site of such conversations. It is a world in which there is rarely, if ever, an answer, a conclusion, a finished product, a truth.” In the case of memes, there is no end to where the joke can go. A few drawings of Pepe the frog can endlessly be reinterpreted and referenced with other ideas for years. You could argue that the original, unedited Pepe is the real one to focus on, but a postmodern framework allows us to see it as one of many templates for cultural commentary.

Ritzer, George. "The Internet Through a Postmodern Lens." Cyborgology. November 19, 2012. http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2012/11/19/the-internet-through-a-postmodern-lens/.

Images

https://smarteregg.com/a-business-owners-multiple-personalities-and-why-they-matter/

https://pepe4trump.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/pepe_trump_cherry.png?w=700

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CB5_7jWWIAA2NLP.jpg

https://www.buzzfeed.com/katienotopoulos/1272-rare-pepes?utm_term=.uv9R4V4gN#.tr7dOeOpW

Postmodernism in Social Media

I view the concept of postmodernism as a challenge to the status quo in our society. Postmodernism questions the traditional structures, beliefs, and ideologies that have been placed in society, leading people to a free and more open-minded view of the world we live in. The concept can be applied in several different aspects of life, including all forms of art, architecture, philosophy and more. In our society today, postmodernism is embodied most through social media. Turkle states, “The Internet has become a significant social laboratory for social experimenting with the constructions and reconstructions of self that characterize postmodernism.” Social media has given individuals the opportunity to create multiple personas that differ from their “real” identities.

The internet and social media has also  allowed individuals to form communities with other like-minded people that share the same beliefs and values. In a world that often discriminates against people on the basis of race, religion, class, gender and sexuality, postmodernism in social media has given people a platform to unite and challenge the systems that perpetuate the injustices faced by many people around the world. The Black Lives Matter, Feminist, and LGBT movements, are all great examples of the recent emergence of postmodernism in social media. Each group is comprised of individuals that share similar values and experiences, and hope to achieve their goal of equality. Although the injustices and inequities experienced by the people in these groups have been going on for a very long time, social media has created a space where they can connect and bring light to the issues they face like never before.

Turkle, Sherry, “Aspects of the Self” Chapter 7. Life on the Screen, Simon and Schuster, New York, NY, 1997

Postmodernism

Postmodernism is taking the original ideals of the world, challenging them with new ways of going about things in order to establish different sets of ideals. In modern time the way of doing things was set at a standard of way in which were very attainable by all however, postmodernism went in opposition to these ways. The original ways in which things were done are now changed, distorted, and forever different.  What was once the only way has now hundreds of thousands of ways of getting a result. The internet possess the ability to have no boundaries creating change at an ever changing rate promoting postmodernism to occur as new ways are continuously challenged and different ways are evolving. Simulation on the internet occur which makes it possible for everything to be copied and copied perfectly without a limit.

In the internet possess the possibility to transform your reality into something it is not, when online dating is brought to the forefront often time truths are twisted. “I didn’t exactly lie to him about anything specific, but I feel very different online. I am a lot more outgoing, less inhibited. I would say I feel more like myself. But that a contradiction. I feel more like who I wish I was. I’m just hoping that face-to-face I can find a way to spend some time being the online me.”(Turkle) Through online dating the truth of who we are feels that it comes out however this is a misconception because often times who we are is not who we say we are online. Modern times would never allow for something as this to transpire and being that postmodern time allow for these situations to not only occur but more often than not expand to a larger conversation of a false reality.

Turkle, Sherry, "Aspects of the Self" from Life on the Screen Simon & Schuster, 1997.

R4: What is Postmodernism?

Postmodernism, in the context of social media today, is the idea that everything we relies on fluidity. Most interestingly, this has to do with our identities. With the use of technology to create websites that require profiles; Unsurprisingly many people use these profiles to amp themselves up a bit. Similar to a fluffed up resume, people tend to want to become more exciting and interesting online than they are in real life, many people even create completely fake profiles with no real information or photos. This phenomena of creating fake, buffed up online personas has grown so rapidly in the last few years because the internet simply makes it easy. 

Postmodernism in its fluidity is useful for understanding social media because it explores the ways in which we aim to be seen. The use of profiles and wanting to show off our lives is a symptom of the postmodern world where everyone wants to be seen, understood, and appreciated. "The postmodern world is obscene since everything is made visible, broadcast, and so forth" (Ritzer) This definition of the postmodern world by Ritzer describes how we use social media to use our agency to expose parts of our life that we want to be acknowledged and praised for. From Twitter to LinkedIn, we create virtual versions of ourselves that showcases what we are most proud of. Whether it is our sense of humor, or our knack for photography, we want to be "obscene".

Ritzer, George. The Society. "The Internet Through a Postmodern Lens." Cyborgology. N.p., 08 Dec. 2012. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

Reflection #4: Living in a Postmodern World

Living in a Postmodern World 

        To me, Postmodernism is a theory that involves the idea that the truth is what one person thinks determined on their beliefs and values and own viewpoint. People make up their own mind based on the culture they are influenced by, and by knowing they have the ability to challenge ideas. Essentially, living in a postmodern world is living in a a world with multiple meanings. Instead of focusing on what the one meaning of truth is, with postmodernism we find that since everyone has multiple ideas of realty, the search for truth is never-ending. 

Since everyone has the ability to bring their own perspective that is shaped by a different culture, we create our own reality. However, one persons idea of reality does not reflect actual reality, it only reflects ones perspective within a culture. This perspective on what is true is shaped by the communities and cultures we find ourselves in, and now that our culture is majority internet based, we find our sense of reality online. 

In the case of social media, Postmodernism can be used to analyze the type of society we are living in and what environment it is shaped by. Because the internet and social media are so prevalent in our society and culture, to understand the type of world we live in, we need to have an understanding and a place within social media platforms.

In Sherry Turkle’s reading “Life on the Screen” she states that “when we step through the screen into virtual communities, we reconstruct our identities on the other side of the looking glass. This reconstruction is our cultural work in progress” (Turkle,177). She implies that we arrange our image online to fit the mold of the computer culture we find our identity in. This idea of having many selves can be seen within the different platforms of social media, and the different versions of ourselves we put out to the world on each. This relates back to the major point that because social media is a major form of communication in our world, we are all able to create our own version of reality within our identity. 

Because the majority of our daily interactions take place within the internet, it plays a central role in shaping peoples idea of reality. The way we socialize has visibly switched from in-person communication to what Turkle calls “computer-mediated communication” (Turkle,178). These social constructions made by computer-mediated communication are what characterize a postmodernist life. With social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter we have the ability to alter our identity depending on not only what platform we choose to use, but the unspoken rules of each social media outlet.

I can easily use my social media engagement as an example of how I participate in a postmodern society. For example, on Facebook, I am very conservative and cautious of what I post because of the audience I have on there. Facebook is made up of family, old friends, work colleagues and most know that it is important to be professional on there. So on Facebook, I change my identity by filling my feed with family pictures, vacation pictures, or the usual “Happy Birthday” post. The way I portray myself on Facebook is much different than the social media outlet Snapchat. On Snapchat, I post funny videos, crazy situations that happen on the weekend, or just random things throughout my day that are much more personal than I would ever dare to post on Facebook. I have freedom on both to post whatever I choose, but because of the environment each social media offers, it shapes my idea of what my reality should be. Although the freedom and endless search of the truth Postmodernism implies allows for new ideas and different connections between people, it can also constrain our identities to the reality we are shaped by within our internet influenced culture. 

Sources:

Turkle, Sherry, “Aspects of the Self” Chapter 7. Life on the Screen, Simon and Schuster, New York, NY, 1997.

Ritzer, George. "The Internet Through a Postmodern Lens." Cyborgology. The Society Pages, 08 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2017. <https://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2012/11/19/the-internet-through-a-postmodern-lens/>. 

R4: Postmodernism and Identity

                                       

          I see postmodernism as the beliefs and emotions humans have when interacting with technology and how these interactions shape us as individuals and as a species entirely. For instance, humans have developed a sort of attachment to inanimate objects like phones, computers, and various social media accounts. When in reality, there should be no real reason as to why humans develop bonds with things incapable of reciprocating emotions or thoughts. I have had my own personal example of this type of bond, in which a few years ago I had to undergo a series of medical treatments for the duration of eight months. In a majority of these procedures, I was not allowed to have anyone in the room (besides the doctors and nurses). I was, however, allowed to keep my phone with me. In these instances, I would go on different social media applications to communicate with friends and family. Although they were not physically present in the room with me, my phone gave me the opportunity to feel as if they were. Due to this I developed an attachment to my phone, because to me, having my phone was equivalent to having my friends and family with me.

        

              Though this example may be on the more extreme side of the spectrum, it does illustrate the depth in which people are able to create bonds with technology. Other examples may include online dating, email, texting, etc. In Sherry Turkle’s essay titled, “Aspects of Self”, she mentions how people also tend to develop a set of different identities when interacting with others online and on social media. This is because the internet allows people a space to explore themselves and recreate themselves into a different person to fit their own ideas of how they should be or wish to be. Turkle explains that, “Many more people experience identity as a set of roles that can be mixed and matched, whose diverse demands need to be negotiated” (Turkle 180).

Sources: Turkle, Sherry, “Aspects of the Self”, Simon and Schuster, New York, NY, 1997. Print.

Reflection #4 - Postmodernism in a Nutshell

Reflection #4

      Postmodernism

        When it comes to Postmodernism and the Postmodern theory from the reading I gathered that it is in some way shape or form some type of analysis of the internet and social networking. In the article they stated that "postmodern social theory can be said to have anticipated today’s (and even more tomorrow’s) realities and to have provided us with a toolkit full of concepts to analyze that world". With this idea of postmodern social theory they have these people called postmodernist and their job is to analyze the internet and these various social networking sites but they have a specific way that they go about their studies.

       Postmodernist have this technique that they call "decenter" where "they analyze and to focus on the periphery. One searches in vain for the center of the Internet or of social networking sites. They are multi-faceted and always in the process of being made".  They are basically trying to tell us that there is no main center or focus point that you can find because even if you think you found it, that can immediately change. They tend to focus on many things instead of trying to point out one main subject, they focus on a larger phenomena which they call the "long-tail".

      There is this idea in our day and age that we live in an era where simulations are a very popular feature in our internet world. They say we are living in a web-based era that really sheds light onto simulations and they are at an all time high right now in our world. "There is the idea of simulations and the argument that we live in “the age of simulation”. Simulations are copies, even copies of copies. This idea of copies is particularly relevant in the Internet age which is a world of perfect copies without limit". The idea behind simulations is they are not real but they are made to feel real but "There are few, if any, material realities that restrict the ability to create simulations in these worlds. Indeed, there is nothing in these worlds but simulations".

       In the end postmodernism has lead us to believe that "we can be seen as living in a fractal age where things proliferate endlessly and expand like a virus or a cancer. There is no goal other than endless proliferation. The Internet is legendarily viral with all sorts of texts and images, as well as viruses and spam, proliferating endlessly". Postmodernism helps us understand the internet and social media because its makes everything visible for us to see and like I said before postmodernist ideas seem more applicable in our society today then they were decades before when they were thought of. Lastly they say that "we should relate them to new realities in order to help us create a set of new concepts and theories that will not only help us today, but will, hopefully, put us in a better position to analyze coming changes on the Internet and in social networking".
 
-Jordan Radway

R4: Understanding Postmodernism & Social Media

I understand postmodernism simply as a transformation from the past. I use the word ‘transformation’ rather than ‘change’ because postmodernism literally transforms how society functions, but still maintains aspects of the past. An easy way I thought of this was with inventions. For example, the telephone was invented many decades ago yet we continue to alter its abilities, uses, and appearances today. Each of these reinventions of the telephone are based upon a previous model and it would be impossible for us to see what a telephone might look like one hundred years from now because no one will ever stop reinventing it.

The idea that there is no end to some inventions connects with George Ritzer’s discussion “The Internet Through a Postmodern Lens”. Ritzer argues that “[...] we can be seen as living in a fractal age where things proliferate endlessly and expand like a virus or a cancer. There is no goal other than endless proliferation. The Internet is legendarily viral with all sorts of texts and images, as well as viruses and spam, proliferating endlessly” (Ritzer). The Internet is a huge example when thinking of postmodernism and it can be narrowed down into numerous different categories. One of these categories is social media.

Today, social media sites are ever changing platforms that records users’ identities. In Sherry Turkle’s “Aspect of the Self” she argues that, “The Internet has become a significant social laboratory for experimenting with the constructions and reconstructions of self that characterize postmodern life” (Turkle, 180). Many people today have social media profiles and also expect others to have them as well. Oftentimes, when we come across someone who does not use social media our automatic reaction is to ask them, “But...why?”

Social media has quickly become a public record of ourselves - or how we want to appear to others. Many users are concerned with how they appear online, and might try to change how they were to adjust to the changes in social media. For example, social media sites have recently started to include stories on users’ newsfeeds. Someone who has never used this feature before might be intimidated by it, but as their other friends start using it they feel left behind and eventually, figure it out. Not only is the social media site an example of postmodernism by ‘copying’ from another site but altering it make it a new version, but the users’ are an example of postmodernism as well. They might watch their friends stories, understand what is considered appropriate or funny for the new feature, and produce similar material to maintain their online persona.

Works Cited

Turkle, Sherry. "Chapter 7 Aspects of the Self." Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2014. 177-209. Print.

Ritzer, George. The Society. "The Internet Through a Postmodern Lens." Cyborgology. N.p., 08 Dec. 2012. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

Images:

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/tdy-130115-concert-phones.jpg

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https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*iFNWk64JYHXGZ7GVrkUbzA.gif

R4: Blurring the Lines of Reality and Self

Blurring the Lines of Reality and Self

            A social theory that is unfamiliar, but not necessarily new, is becoming increasingly applicable to social life as it exists today.  Post-modernism is a social theory that focuses more on finding truth as a process that is continuous and never final, as opposed to the idea of truth being an attainable goal with a pronounced ending.  One of the characteristics of post-modern theory that is widely used to analyze sociality is the idea of de-centralization.  As it pertains to the Internet and social media, de-centralization is used to blur the lines of reality and self by, and for, the user.  It is for this reason that social media has become a popular, and often preferred, form of social engagement. 

            On a social media platform, the user creates a social profile, or identity.  This is the user’s projection of themselves that they wish to show others in this online space.  In a post-modern analysis, one of the aspects of de-centralization is simulation, or copiability.  The first of the four orders of simulation, explained by Ritzer, is that simulation reflects reality.  In terms of social media, the user profile can be a true reflection of reality, but often the user can portray themselves as how they wish to be seen by others rather than how they are seen in the real world.  This is one of the most distinct ways that the lines of reality and self are blurred by using social media.  For example, in Turkle’s “Aspect of Self” an interview with a woman, when asked about her upcoming meeting with someone she had been carrying on a romantic relationship with that was strictly online, she said, “I didn't exactly lie to him about anything specific, but I feel very different online. I am a lot more outgoing, less inhibited.”  The woman here created an image of herself online that is supposed to accurately portray who she is in the real world, and even though she is trying to be authentically the same person online as who she is in real life, she still feels like a different person online.  

One could also argue the existence of the third order of simulation as explained by Ritzer in an analysis of online social interaction.  In the third order, the simulations have the absence of reality.  One individual had been active on online “dungeons” or MUDs that were a text based virtual reality where characters were controlled by the user and able to navigate throughout the world via text commands.  In these worlds, he would create multiple characters, “On MUDs, Gordon has experimented with many different characters, but they all have something in common. Each has qualities that Gordon Is trying to develop in himself” (Turkle, 1997).  

In the true sense of simulation as multiple copies, Gordon had created multiple copies of himself via his online characters, but in his characters, he is making a version of himself that is not an accurate depiction of who he is in real life.  With these multiple characters, it is easy to argue here that immersion in these multiple lives and personalities could result in, or has been caused by, an absence of reality.  What Gordon is not in his social life in the real world, he has created in his lives online. 

Both examples show individuals placing less emphasis on their real-life selves, and making their online selves of more importance.  This de-centralization of the self is a common practice of social media communities today.  The online environment is continuously changing in its landscape, and is changing the way people interact online, which in turn affects their real-life relationships.  So, it makes perfect sense to analyze these continuous changes with theory that continuously keeps the conversation going, and never searching for the truth in terms of an absolute end.

Sources:

Turkle, Sherry, “Aspects of the Self” Chapter 7. Life on the Screen, Simon and Schuster, New York, NY, 1997. (PDF)

 Ritzer, “The Internet Through a Postmodern Lens” http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2012/11/19/the-internet-through-a-postmodern-lens/

R4: Postmodernism through Social Media

Postmodernism through Social Media

Postmodernism is a difficult term to define because there is no one singular definition of it.  In postmodernism, each person has the ability to create their own reason, definition, or concept of truth.  In terms of the Internet, there are always multiple sources or definitions for a specific term or concept.  The Internet provides a space for all to analyze and interpret multiple definitions, voice their opinion and contribute to what they believe is the truth. To me, postmodernism is our ability to question what is thought to be the truth.

Sherry Turkle examines the concept of postmodernism in relation to social media in her text Life On Screen, Chapter 7 “Aspects of the Self”.  Postmodernism is a valuable theory for understanding social media because it allows users to create and recreate multiple selves.  Turkle states that on the Internet, users are able “to build a self by cycling through many selves” (Turkle 178).  This corresponds to the new, postmodern notion of “identity as multiplicity” (Turkle 178).  In multi-user dungeons (MUDs), users can create a character who is completely unlike themselves in real life. They can also be engaged in multiple MUDs and have different personas in each forum.  The same concept can be applied to other social media, such as having multiple accounts on one or many sites.  Social media allows us to recreate ourselves in a different world.  It allows us to escape from real life and enter an alternate dimension.  This dimension is a place where we can be anything we want, but this may not be reality.  MUDs and other social media allow others to discuss certain things they wouldn’t normally discuss because they are protected by the anonymity online.

George Ritzer views the Internet as a means of "keeping the conversation going" (Ritzer).  For example, Ritzer explains that the Internet opens up conversation between users, rather than restricting it to limited ideas and opinions.  Ritzer also discusses how the Internet creates the “prosumer," or a combination of a producer and consumer, in the user.  In modern thinking,  there is a demise of both the consumer and the producer while simultaneously giving birth to the “prosumer.”  Contrarily in postmodern thinking, the Internet makes the user into a “produser".  The “produser” is a “productive user” who has the ability to comment on anything online, mashup various phenomenons, etc (Ritzer).  This type of produsage produces artifacts, which Ritzer claims are “inherently incomplete, always evolving, ever finished” (Ritzer).  Ritzer also discusses how “Web 2.0 has no hierarchies” (Ritzer).  This aligns with postmodernist thinking, because hierarchical differences are readily visible in society.  However, when one goes online, there are no such hierarchies.  Everyone is seemingly equal online, or at least has the ability to be equal.

Social media has benefited from postmodernism because it allows people to create a new identity, or identities, for themselves.  For example, video games are sometimes viewed  in a “nerdy” perspective in our society.  Although video games are widely popular, for many, it is not really the “cool” thing to do to hold lengthy, in-depth conversations about video games.  However, there are many game discussion forums online where gamers can hold in-depth conversations about their favorite video games.  In his article, Joel Lee discusses how video gaming is similar to a sport and lists the top 7 video game discussion forums (Lee).  Gamers can remain anonymous through the use of a username, rather than using a real name.  This allows for someone who is embarrassed about their video gaming to be able to express their views and talk to others who have similar interest.

Social media sites, such as YouTube, have also contributed to the rise of the gamer.  Video games are now the “cool” thing to do online.  For instance, a popular YouTuber known as PewDiePie is famous for recording himself playing video games online while commenting with obscene language and lewd comments.  On the Wiki page about him, they identify him as a “web-based comedian and video producer” (“PewDiePie”).  By doing something that is traditionally geeky or nerdy in real life, PewDiePie is well-known and has millions of subscribers, receiving over 8 million views on some of his videos.  He has created a career out of playing video games. This is something one might not think is possible to do in real life.  

Famous YouTuber PewDiePie

The Internet has allowed for people to create multiple identities and express certain viewpoints they would be hesitant to identify with in real life.  Through the postmodernist viewpoint, social media has allowed us to not only create new or multiple identities for ourselves, but its also challenges societal norms.

Lee, Joel. “7 Big Gaming Forums for Non-Stop Video Game Talk.” MakeUseOf. N.p., 07

Mar. 2016. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

<http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/big-gaming-forums-video-game-talk/>.

PewDiePie. “PewDiePie. YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

<https://www.youtube.com/user/PewDiePie/featured>.

“PewDiePie.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Mar. 2017. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PewDiePie>.

Ritzer, George. "The Internet Through a Postmodern Lens." Cyborgology. The Society

Pages, 08 Dec. 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

<https://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2012/11/19/the-internet-through-a-post

modern-lens/>.

Turkle, Sherry, “Aspects of the Self” Chapter 7. Life on the Screen, Simon and Schuster,

New York, NY, 1997.