Chris

Pros and Cons of Postmodernism

Postmodernism is a concept used in a variety of media texts that aims to be controversial, however
this can have benefits and consequences. Postmodernism originated from the reaction to
modernism, which is where people thought that science and technology was improving their lives.
However, during WW2 people realised that these new ideas and advancements were being used
against them in the form of bombs and weapons. Thus postmodernism was born, putting a cynical
edge on reality. Baudrillard stated that the majority of the world is presented through hyper reality
a fake reality created by the media. Thus postmodernism can be seen as both positive and negative,
as it toys with reality in ways that people either accept or reject.
Postmodernism likes to deconstruct other media texts so they can be reconstructed through use of
parody and Spoofs using intertextuality. An example of this is when the comedy show Brass eye did
a spoof of the news by portraying it as something that is fake and hyper-real itself, even though it is
a suppose to be representing real life. They were able to mock the structure of the news readers in a
sarcastic way by mimicking the style and following stereotypical codes and conventions of news
programmes such as meaningless graphs and figures. This could be seen as a positive for
postmodernism as it shows that people are able to laugh about serious things, and allows for tongue
in cheek humour. This is further represented in the animated comedy series Family Guy which uses
a lot of parodies and outtakes from other texts by using cross references. E.g. major narratives such
as Christianity are mocked as Jesus turns the water to wine for a teenage party, which provoked
controversial backlash from religious leaders.
One problem of postmodernism is that it uses generic blurring. This is when media texts merge
together different styles or genre into one text to create something new, this technique is used in
the film and music industry. E.g. the pop artist Lady Gaga uses generic blurring in her everyday life
and in her live performances, this is because she wants to create a character so flamboyant and
interesting that everyone will forget her real persona of Stefanie Germonatta and only think of the
fabricated Lady Gaga .This can be seen as a negative aspect of postmodernism as by merging these
texts, we lose sight of the original genre or text. E.g. Stefanie Germonatta ceases to exist, and is
replaced by Lady Gaga in the eyes of the media.
Postmodernism states that it is no longer possible to create anything original. Everything is made up
of blending or a mixture of older works. Postmodernism takes this to extremes using bricolage and
intertextuality. This leads to many original narratives being treated with irreverence. The film The
cabin in the Woods for example uses intertexuality to showcase the many monsters and creatures
from other iconic horror films, such as the twins from the shining, and the masked murderers from
the strangers. A key example of this is when Sigourney weaver who is well known for playing the
protagonist from the iconic horror trilogy Alien is revealed as the Director at the end of the film.
By integrating all these iconic horror scenes/characters into one film, creates a homage for the
horror genre, as audiences with prior knowledge of these films will understand the references. The
postmodern tendency towards cross reference and intertextuality creates a relationship with the
audience by both playing with and complimenting their knowledge of film, which is beneficial to the
audience.
The death of representation is a concept used in postmodern texts because it allows for new
representations to be made. . E.g. the Pop star Lady Gaga used the Death of representation, as she
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is constantly reinventing herself to avoid being labelled by the media and paparazzi. Cleverly she
released a controversial song Paparazzi where in the music video she is quite literally pushed to the
point of near death by these people who want to feed off her pain. She also wears bizarre artistic
outfits that you would expect to see on a catwalk as they are so outlandish, e.g her 2ft heelless
shoes. This technique can also be applied to computer games, e.g. the Sims franchise have taken it
one step further and have created an immersive hyper reality in which people can create themselves
and live out their life virtually, through an avatar. This amount of control over life can be considered
controversial as games like this can make you more concerned for your avatar life, as opposed to
your real life, games such as these contain no grand narrative or moral guidelines, as young people
are given power over life and death, and can explicitly watch their avatars burn to death. This is
quite a negative aspect of postmodernism, as it has provided so much immersion and escapism, that
people are losing sight of what is reality. (baudrillard). This can also lead to crime and anti-social
behaviour as the younger audience is easily influenced by violence, and are losing their consciences.
In conclusion Postmodernism can be seen in both a positive and negative light depending on how it
is viewed. Lyotards notion that there are no ultimate truths lends us the idea that its about taste
and opinion and that one text is not better than the other. On one hand, postmodernism can cause
controversy as it deliberately pokes fun at well known texts and historic events. E.g. the film
Inglorious basturds mocks the story of the World War by including fictional scenes and not following
the true story. However Postmodernism can also be seen as positive as it has allowed for a new
breed of media texts, as films and media can reuse well known scenes, and present them with a
unique twist. E.g. Lady Gaga uses bricolage as she collectively uses iconic props and outfits from
other artists and texts. E.g. the fireworks bra she uses was previously used by Madonna.