In my efforts to experiment with social discovery, I was chanced to be sent a link to Jonathan Erdman's blog, The Theos Project, by a friend of mine. After I commented on a review he did of George Orwell's 1984, he responded to my comment and sent me a link to and article by Alan Kirby titled, "The Death of Postmodernism and Beyond."Kirby's ideas revolve around his argument that postmodern thought is being subverted by a new paradigm, the period of pseudo-modernism.
Postmodernism is marked by a belief that meaning cannot be derived from anything in the world around us. Truth is something that cannot be defined and beauty is something relative without a substantial definition. Pseudo-modernism, according to Kirby, "makes the individual's action the necessary condition of social product," or meaning found in texts. He goes on to explain that modern technology has made a world full of people that are ignorant because of the easy access to materials on the internet. Kirby takes the position that allowing readers to create meaning and cultural products through interaction with texts and visual media can make society ignorant. Reality is created through interaction, and because of this, Kirby says that material created during this period is "consumerist and conformist" due to globalization and our world revolving around common markets.
I find his position very interesting in light of my own research into blogging and its affects on the world. Pseudo-modernism and its ideas that seem to subvert depth in the creative process because of the interaction of the masses is a real concern. Many people jump on the bandwagon of the latest fad, or the latest Youtube video that has garnered the highest hits. With this said, I think that the originality of the millions of blogs on the web allows for enough individualism that can create a reality full of deep thought that can keep the intellectual level of academia alive as technology continues to progress.
I go back to Winston's journal to make my point. The journal he rights in are his personal thoughts against Big Brother and the Party. These thoughts are condemned by the establishment and rejected by the "conformist" populace of London's dystopia. Winston is going against the grain and his words are intended to aid those that will come after him. If blogging is used in this way, original thought will continue to be born and, though reality may seem in flux, people of like minds will have opportunities to collaborate on a more intimate level than ever before to keep our world structured in the way that is right in the eyes of God and noble men.
I only bring God into this because the Grand Narratives of the postmodern era and the eternal truths they thought could not be answered are held by our Creator.
So, in conclusion, after having been a skeptic of social media in general, I have a great hope for the genesis of orignal thought and the rise of individuals who will have ideas that were at one time silenced because there was not forum for them to be expressed. Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks are mediums where thoughts can be expressed and thoughts can be critiqued and added upon by enthusiasts and peers to make a more perfect product. We should not shy away from the opportunities that new media is giving us, but embrace it and use it to carry the world to a heightened intellectual capacity with the content we post to the web.
Postmodernism is marked by a belief that meaning cannot be derived from anything in the world around us. Truth is something that cannot be defined and beauty is something relative without a substantial definition. Pseudo-modernism, according to Kirby, "makes the individual's action the necessary condition of social product," or meaning found in texts. He goes on to explain that modern technology has made a world full of people that are ignorant because of the easy access to materials on the internet. Kirby takes the position that allowing readers to create meaning and cultural products through interaction with texts and visual media can make society ignorant. Reality is created through interaction, and because of this, Kirby says that material created during this period is "consumerist and conformist" due to globalization and our world revolving around common markets.
I find his position very interesting in light of my own research into blogging and its affects on the world. Pseudo-modernism and its ideas that seem to subvert depth in the creative process because of the interaction of the masses is a real concern. Many people jump on the bandwagon of the latest fad, or the latest Youtube video that has garnered the highest hits. With this said, I think that the originality of the millions of blogs on the web allows for enough individualism that can create a reality full of deep thought that can keep the intellectual level of academia alive as technology continues to progress.
I go back to Winston's journal to make my point. The journal he rights in are his personal thoughts against Big Brother and the Party. These thoughts are condemned by the establishment and rejected by the "conformist" populace of London's dystopia. Winston is going against the grain and his words are intended to aid those that will come after him. If blogging is used in this way, original thought will continue to be born and, though reality may seem in flux, people of like minds will have opportunities to collaborate on a more intimate level than ever before to keep our world structured in the way that is right in the eyes of God and noble men.
I only bring God into this because the Grand Narratives of the postmodern era and the eternal truths they thought could not be answered are held by our Creator.
I had a nice long comment typed up that disappeared because I hit the wrong button....so here's my second try!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking me to your thoughts. I can appreciate your optimism for the possibility of the blogosphere and Facebook. I do think that it is important to recognize the difference in the challenges that face the consumerism of the West versus the oppressive Middle Eastregimes and Winston's situation in 1984. We do not have the overt oppression, we have too much access to too many distractions. We are not repressed,we are consumerists.
The film Fight Club might be one of the essential postmodern films. Jack's apartment is filled with stuff, but he himself lives a miserable life of 9-5 office work. "you don't own your stuff, your stuff owns you." The question for pseudo-modernity might be: do you control your technology, or does your technology control you? Is technology (and in a larger sense our capitalist society) allowing us the time and space for critical thought and original creativity? Or is it training us to think in small status profile updates?
In the news today is the Facebook public stock offering. Facebook is massive, bigger than many major companies, and generating multi millions for a small group of people. Meanwhile, many writers and journalists struggle to pay bills, as people search out "free" news and writing online. How do we cope with these economic realities that seem to put an economic squeeze on the would-be Winstons of our era?
I commented on your blog, the Theos Project. That is why you didn't see my comment in reply to yours. I apologize. Trying to learn the etiquette of blogging...
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