Post Modernism suggests the idea that the
value of high culture and low(popular) culture is the same and that people base
what they like on personal taste and preference rather than what it is labelled
as.
Post Modern suggests ideas about truth and
reality such as the idea that with the development of technology and media,
reality is being blurred, causing hyper-reality. What is true and what is false
are being forced together causing people to not fully understand what the
difference is anymore. One example of this is simulation and how our
relationships with others can become hyper real due to the simulations of
ourselves via social networking site Facebook.
The two big thinkers of Post Modernism are
Lyotard and Baudrillard. Both theorists share the concept of the truth needing
to be ‘deconstructed’ so one can challenge the dominant themes or ‘grand narratives’
that people claim to be the truth.
Examples of ‘grand narratives’ include:
Disneyland is significant in the idea of
hyper-reality and simulacrum as it is a real place, yet is formed entirely of
film and book, stories and fairy tales, thus creating something totally fake
but in real place which you can experience.
Our understanding of 9/11 can be considered
to be hyper real because of the way it was broadcasted globally. Footage taken
on phones and cameras from the scene became used for news channels and in
worldwide media, showing from different angles the tragedy. Because the scene
has been recreated through media and unless you were there, seems like something
from a disaster movie, it blurs the line between what is real and what is
forced onto screen. It changes our idea of what is real, when a disaster
happens and can be broadcasted like it’s a film.
The Matrix is significant to support the
theories of Baudrillard as it delves into the idea of what is real and what isn’t
as the film portrays the idea of what it is to be human and whether we are
being human even when we are being controlled. The actual themes of the film
are postmodern as well as the way it is produced.
There are postmodern elements in the Mighty
Boosh such as the fact that it is a parody of intertextual references which
challenges conventions as it cannot be put into one specific genre box. It uses
the bricolage method in its creation and is postmodern in its ability to experiment
with the show as a being, with the way it is structured and broadcasted.
There are postmodern elements in tv show
Extras as not only does it show the behind the scenes of another show, breaking
the convention of a show being a fictional representation of life which blurs
reality, it also uses real actors as themselves in a fictional narrative. The
show in its own narrative reflects and deconstructs the real narrative of the
show, paralleling what the show portrays as real to what it portrays as being
the show’s narrative.
Grand Theft Auto is postmodern as it allows
a real person to become a simulation of another whilst at the same time letting
the game player learn the narrative of the game as well as actual skills to
play. It blurs the focus of what is real and what is hyper real as elements of
real life are used and portrayed in fake situations in real places.
The Cadbury’s Gorilla advert can be seen as
postmodern as it arguably uses the concept of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to
reflect the primal nature of needing food, illuminating the idea that people
need food, and want chocolate despite the pressure of western media culture
which attempts to encourage people to eat healthy. Strategically, it uses the
USP of the gorilla and the Phil Collins song to sell and market virally using
social networking platforms such as Youtube and Twitter.
In Postmodernism terms for gaming, FLOW basically
means what the games challenges the player into doing and the constant feedback
it gives the player urging them to continue playing. IMMERSION basically means
the way a gamer is absorbed into the game by their own imagination combining
with the game itself.
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