postmodernism

Question 1

late modernity vs postmodernity

Answer 1

-late modern= the social structures are losing power but still have influence over individuals
-postmodern= these do not matter and people can choose, they no longer have control

Question 2

key features of postmodern society

Answer 2

• rapid and continuous introduction of new goods and services, much wider consumer choice
• media images, consumption and lifestlye are the major sources of identity
• culture is more diverse and fragmented
• nation states and national identities are displaced by globalisation and supranational bodies (like EU Union)
• society is dominated by global interactive digital media
• objective truth is undiscoverable (loss of belief in metanarratives

Question 3

main postmodernist sociologists and their ideas

Answer 3

• Baudrillard- simulacra= artifical creation and no resemblance to real life, hyperreality= unable to distinguish between reality and simulacra
  -Lyotard- metanarratives decline
  -Bauman

Question 4

arguments for and against the existence of late modern/postmodern society

Answer 4

FOR
- the theory has become more sophisticated but adapting existing theories is still adequate!

AGAINST
- distinction between modernity and postmodernism is exaggerated
- changes due to late stage widespread capitalism instead?
- you can still develop general theories of the social world that can improve it
- govs still have the power to change and improve society
- people have more awareness and critical thinking about the media than postmodernists suggest
- national and cultural identities are still strong
- ignore factors that restrict consumption and identity
- postmodernism in itself is a metanarrative??

Question 5

evaluation of postmodernity (incl. sociologists)

Answer 5

+ effect og media on culture and identity
+ growth of pick n mix identity through media
+ challenges metanarrative explanations of society

• Philo and miller: ignores power inequality that still exists, ignores the limitations placed by social structures which still exist
• Best and Kellner: descriptive theory rather than explanatory

Question 6

Lyotard

Answer 6

• people have developed ‘incredulity towards metanarratives’- they no longer blindly believe
• people try to develop their own perspective on events
• solutions to problems are small scale rather than all-encompassing

Question 7

Baudrillard

Answer 7

• the ‘death of the social’- this is replaced by the concerns of the individual rather than larger society, this also declines communities and community spirit.
• hyperreality- signs and symbols in society come to have meanings of their own that we cannot distinguish from reality
• simulacra/simulacrum- we see images that are often creating an illusion of reality, staged and prepared to be convinving (eg vlogs)

Question 8

the role of the media

Answer 8

• media saturation in society aids in creating hyperreality and simulacra through bombarding people with images until we no longer know what’s real
• we instead look to what we percieve to be real, like influencers to guide our opinions and raise questions of legitimate sources
• society then becomes fragmented and unstable, with stronger reactions against the metanarratives put out by governments and other social institutions

Question 9

what is some evidence of postmodernism?

Answer 9

• family diversity and diversity in personal lives
• greater fluidity in relationships, identity and appearance
• emergence of hybrid cultures eg british asian
• impacts of globalisation, education, family, crime, beliefs
• increased media saturation, mobile phones & people struggle to keep up with the large volume of info available to them