timed essay

Essay

Why is some media described as Postmodern?

Post Modernism is the after effects of modernism where it is described as an ideology of the future. Current media pieces are considered as postmodern as theorist Fredric Jameson says that what is considered as new media is just recycled material from old to create something that is seen as fresh to younger audiences. We are exposed to post modern media everyday on bus stops, billboard, television, newspaper, magazines and more. This is how the media is constructing our world as everywhere we turn there is a form of media directed our way. 

Tv Drama 15 Million Merits is a media being represented as their virtual selves, still being an active being but in a simulation where they can achieve and experience more than they could in the reality of their own lives. People in the gym seem to prefer the simulated version of working out where the reality is that they are on an exercise bike, but the artificial version is that they can explore being outside riding a bike on a colourful sunny day, the idealistic version of working out, a lot like the latest games consoles, Nintendo Wii and Xbox Kinect where you actively progress your simulated avatar.

Another man in the gym has his fantasy interrupted by a reflection of a cleaner, he states "one minute I'm in slits ville and the next there's a pig gawking at me" this is his way of showing how the media portraits women as before he was enjoying a game show which ridicules larger ladies, revealing that some men are comparing the hyper real, media twisted version of women to the reality of how an average lady appears. This proves Baudrillards theory that "the effect of living simulacra is a distorted sense of reality or hyper reality" as the man prefers the artificial copy than the original.

Baudrillard also said that we are now living in a world developing more information and less meaning, this is apparent in their everyday life of cycling for merits, merits for what exactly? A new virtual haircut which has no relation to how you appear in reality, but in their world is the best it can get.

Guy Debord's theory of the world as we see it is now the world of the commodity proves right by the end result of Bing's outburst on the Hot Shot show, is that after trying to beat out the system, he is now recruited as a spectacle in the media and that his only way out of being a consumer in his reality, was to become part of the commodity which he wished to escape from in the first place. His character has developed from a consumer to a product which he is now being represented from the media's perspective as an entertainer with merchandise available for virtual avatars and his own show where he can rant on about how unfair the system is, therefore transforming their culture of the system into a commodity - selling out his beliefs and point of view for a fancy penthouse.

Alot like the Xfactor and Big Brother, 15 Million Merit's equivalent Hot Shot, the audience decides the fate of the contestants, Michel Foucault describes this as voyeurism being the act of control. This is apparent in the audience of Hot Shot full of the virtual avatars behind the panel of judges. The reality tv in relation to this program would be the Hot Shot entertainment show, where everyday individuals can save up their merits to participate in the glamorous show. What makes this show appealing is how the media has represented the auditions and how the judges have critiqued the performers. It's a lot like Dennis McQuail's theory of escapism where you can watch the tv and get away from your life and problems.

This show can be considered as either modernist for its structure of being a grand narrative and the audience taking a passive part, or this could be a post modern piece for it’s self reflectivity and it’s unusual way of portraying our everyday lifestyle. 

Scott Pilgrim Vs the World is a post modern context of what our future could look like. The storyline is that the boy meets a girl however the plot twists when the post modern theme of having to defeat her exes to be in a relationship with her. This media could be either modernist again for its passive audience and grand narrative of boy meets girl, good defeats evil and the whole story fixated on a basic structure. It could also be considered as post modern for it’s blurring of genres and stylistic themes, also the involvement of having homosexual characters is a twist on grand narrative of just boy and girl.

Although this media could seem brand new, Jameson’s theory behind the film is that all of these traits have been recycled from other media, for example the root of the film relies on the computer game stylistic approach as this hasn’t been featured in many media works. 

The use of style of substance in this film is the storyline is very basic however effects and use of hyper reality create a surreal world.

Both media texts could be considered as either modernist or post modern for the audience sake of it being a passive show and don’t interact with the audience like todays popular reality tv shows such as the X factor and Big Brother as their audience is plays a major part in their show. Other shows like The Only Way Is Essex could be considered as reality tv with both active and passive audiences, some who soak up the entertainment and those who use social networking sites to interact with the cast giving an insight of what they think of the show. It could however be a modernist tv show as most of the drama caused is scripted and acted out for the audiences pleasure. 

Scott Pilgrim and 15 Million Merits are prime examples of how everything is hyper real for example the computer effects in Scott Pilgrim, and the future of style over substance in 15 Million Merits where we are doomed to be controlled by the media.