Discuss why some people are not convinced by the idea of postmodern media.

Discuss why some people are not convinced by the idea of postmodern media.

Postmodernism cannot easily be defined due to the fact its existence is, in theory, impossible; media cannot be 'after' modern because modern is now; anything after now is the future and the future remains un-invented and doesn't exist until it happens. In effect, postmodernism is simply a rejection of modernism.

Kirby Furguson argues that 'everything is a remix', he believes that everything is connected, that 'originality' is impossible and that creativity relies on the ability to copy, transform and combine. The ideas put forward by Furguson could be relatable to Quentin Tarrentino's film 'Inglourious Basterds' as this continually makes intertextual references to other films; for example, the establishing shot in the first scene replicates that of ‘The Sound of Music’; likewise the soldier line up scene later on is identical to the scene in ‘The Dirty Dozen’ where the soldiers are being recruited to attack. The film takes scenes, changes them slightly but not so much that the audience doesn't recognise the original source, and then integrates them into the new film; thereby following Furguson's suggested rule of 'copy, transform and combine'. His theory parallels Bentley's quote that creativity is 'The rearranging of the old and the making of the new', nothing can be original, it’s about how you transform old ideas and make people enjoy watching something they've already seen.

However, Jameson and his criticism of postmodernism comments on the idea that 'It is vacuous and trapped in circular references' thereby inferring that he is not convinced by the ideas presented by postmodernism. He believes that everyone should follow the conventions of their products rather than break up core structures and he thinks that the world has become too hyper-real; people can no longer distinguish what is reality from what is a simulation of reality. For example, the television series 'The Only Way Is Essex' is based on what people perceive Essex and its inhabitants to be like. In reality, this is not the lifestyle everyone in Essex lives, the series just looks at the expected lifestyle based on stereotypes. Jameson also picks up on the fact that postmodernism just takes what people have already seen and re-shows them it in a new context and, most of the time, the audience don't even realise; he is not convinced that re-using old material is being creative and original.

Jameson also focuses on ‘deathlessness’ and the idea that sometimes trying to give something too much depth and layers of meaning can result in it become depthless and carrying no meaning at all. An example of this can be seen in the film ‘Apocalypse Now’ and the British Gas advert. ‘Apocalypse now uses the music ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ to criticise US foreign policy, using the music and carrying across the racist connotations. British Gas however, use flying service vans, (perhaps replicating the helicopters in ‘Apocalypse Now’) and have the ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ music playing over the top, and end up carrying no racist implications across at all, they have simply created an entertaining advert using a piece of music so out of context that it has lost its original meaning.

Some postmodern media texts challenge traditional text-reader relations and the concept of representation through the use of parody. This is evident in 'Hobo With A Shot Gun' where within the first few scenes from opening, one of the actors is decapitated by a chain tied to a car however, the light-hearted nature in which this is carried out creates pastiche; this forms the concept of bathos to the audience where the narrative is too exaggerated that intended sympathetic aspects become humorous. The film in itself is based on a trailer for a film that never existed; it was designed to be purposely bad to be good but then ended up just being bad. The sole aim of the main character in the film is to save up to buy a lawn-mover, this completely pointless life aspiration reflects the pointlessness of the film as a whole; replicating the opinion some people have of postmodernism and showing why some people aren't convinced by postmodernism.

Media audiences and industries operate differently in a postmodern world. With the easy access of Facebook and Twitter, it is easier than ever to keep in contact with friends and family. Media industries are reliant on social networking sites for their audiences to view, comment and share their products as it is the fastest and most efficient way to generate good word-of-mouth. The majority of media audiences now have Internet access twenty four hours a day, seven days a week; this encourages actions such as online shopping where mass supplied goods can be delivered to your door in a matter of hours. Goods can be shipped and interchanged from all around the world thanks to globalisation. However, many people criticise companies for advertising their products using simulacra; creating copies of copies of copies of something that never existed in the first place and making people aspire to a lifestyle which doesn't exist. For example the Nikon S8000 advert aims to 'remind' people about their unique experiences however, the experiences shown do not exist, the company is merely projecting aspirational life events that the audience may want and consequently, will ‘apparently’ experience with the purchase of this camera.

This false sense of advertising alongside the frequent pastiche film narratives could be why some people are not convinced by the idea of postmodern media.