l8 : postmodernism and digital communication

Question 1

what do postmodernists argue about digital communication?

Answer 1

• new types of communication reflect a shift towards greater individual choice so can develop diff parts of identity & have range of social networks
• useful for diffusing diff cultural styles and creating new global hybrid styles in fashion, music, food & lifestyle. cultured diversity will be the norm
• see globalisation as positive as created new class of global consumers in developed and developing world where people can construct “hybridised global identity”
• can remove distinction between global and local
• people no longer happy to inherit fixed identities based on gender or social class. social media and vc offer people plurality of identities to choose and consume

Question 2

what is a “hybridised global identity”?

Answer 2

when a persons beliefs or behaviour can be influenced by a mixture of local and global, & traditional and modern

Question 3

what is hyper reality as defined by postmodernists?

Answer 3

when people find it difficult to distinguish between real life and digital reality. concerns about this and whether digital technology is really healthy for identities & relationships

Question 4

what did foucalt say about identity and digital communication?

Answer 4

global dc offers different ways for people to create their identity based on how they see themselves and how others see them

Question 5

what did collins say about identity and digital communication?

Answer 5

to understand society, chains of interaction must be understood. suggests by looking at how the individual constructs their identity on social media allows us to learn how people see world around them

Question 6

what does case suggests about identities?

Answer 6

postmodernist. adolescents have a new challenge as they have an online and offline identity. nature of social media makes it hard to remove mistakes as every interaction is visible, like an audit trail

Question 7

what does foucault say about surveillance and digital communication?

Answer 7

argues surveillance is likely to become effective means of regulating behaviour and reducing crime in society. people know they’re being watched so less likely to commit crime as chances of being caught are greater.
people controlled through increasing amounts of information being collected, building up personal profiles

Question 8

what is the miller study?

Answer 8

global social media impact study - report on use and consequences of social media for people around the world. used nine, 15 month ethnographic studies to investigate how social media is used and how it has impacted politics and privacy

Question 9

what are the strengths in methodology of the global social media impact study?

Answer 9

• very valid
• lots of countries studied so generalisable
• can understand social media in different environments

Question 10

what are the weaknesses in methodology of the global social media impact study?

Answer 10

• expensive
• time consuming
• trained professionals required to carry out study

Question 11

what are the strengths of the postmodernist viewpoint?

Answer 11

1) explore positive and negative effects of dc. +ve effects are that unites global and local in terms of cultural identities, creating cultural hybridity. -ve effects are surveillance and “big brother” monitoring
2) praised as “pick and mix” where different theories are integrated to explain globalisation. holistic theoretical overview eg. feminists agree that dc gives women opportunity to voice opinions via facebook

Question 12

what are the weaknesses of the postmodernist viewpoint?

Answer 12

1) fail to recognise inequalities in access to technology and use of it. doesn’t recognise digital divide between ages and classes
2) does not recognise crimes such as identity fraud or catfishing attached to use of dc and technology