Postmodernism is a result of the negations from a modern society. In the beginning there was traditional society, the negation from traditional resulted in modern society. Post-modernity is the historical era that followed the modern world. Post-modernity began in the 1960’s. Post-modernism refers to the cultural products; the art, literature etc, which are different from modern culture. Postmodern theory is a way of thinking that is distinct and breaks away from modern theory. Post modern society is the emphasis on multiple differences, and truths. It is the abstract way of thinking about things. There are three postmodern positions, they are: first, extreme post-modernity, which is the radical rupture from modern society. This position came from Jean Baudrillard. This means that modern society has been completely separated from all of post-modernity. The second is a radicalized modernity. This position came from Anthony Giddens. This means that while changes have taken place, post-modernity is continually extended from modernity. The third is dialectical opposition to modernity. This position came from Zygmunt Bauman. This means that there are limits to modernity and some of those limits are highlighted from this postmodern world.
Out of the three postmodern positions the one that I agree the most with is Giddens position of radicalized modernity. Post-modernity, in my opinion is a continuation of modernity. Giddens discusses globalization, and how there are more interconnections because of it. He also believes that we have become more connected in the post-modern world. Giddens discusses two concepts of radicalized modernity. The first is time and space distantation, and the second is trust. Time and space distantiation means that time and space are a lot more relative than they used to be. The near and far can be easily connected. They become emptied out of meaning and context. Trust in a postmodern world means that people must rely on abstract systems and trust that they work. People put trust in the working knowledge of experts.
In my own experience I have seen how time and distance have become a lot more relative than before. My family lives all around the world. My grandmother and uncle both live in Lebanon. When I was very young, I remember my mother buying a lot of five dollar phone cards that allowed her to call her mother for a cheaper price than to directly call from our landline. Now because of different technologies and media sites such as Facebook, and Skype, we can see them and speak for as long as we wish. It is almost as though they are here and we are there. We are able to be connected in a way that was not possible before these advancements.
Trust is also something that is becoming very necessary in this time and age. More and more people are going to college to become educated and specialized in a certain type of field. This almost forces people to trust others knowledge when it comes to things that they need help with in order to be able to fix what needs fixing. For example, when I go to get my car fixed, I have trust that the people working at the dealership have a lot more knowledge in that area, and know what to do. While individuals may have some knowledge of things, trust in abstract systems means that people need to rely on others.
Out of the three postmodern positions the one that I agree the most with is Giddens position of radicalized modernity. Post-modernity, in my opinion is a continuation of modernity. Giddens discusses globalization, and how there are more interconnections because of it. He also believes that we have become more connected in the post-modern world. Giddens discusses two concepts of radicalized modernity. The first is time and space distantation, and the second is trust. Time and space distantiation means that time and space are a lot more relative than they used to be. The near and far can be easily connected. They become emptied out of meaning and context. Trust in a postmodern world means that people must rely on abstract systems and trust that they work. People put trust in the working knowledge of experts.
In my own experience I have seen how time and distance have become a lot more relative than before. My family lives all around the world. My grandmother and uncle both live in Lebanon. When I was very young, I remember my mother buying a lot of five dollar phone cards that allowed her to call her mother for a cheaper price than to directly call from our landline. Now because of different technologies and media sites such as Facebook, and Skype, we can see them and speak for as long as we wish. It is almost as though they are here and we are there. We are able to be connected in a way that was not possible before these advancements.
Trust is also something that is becoming very necessary in this time and age. More and more people are going to college to become educated and specialized in a certain type of field. This almost forces people to trust others knowledge when it comes to things that they need help with in order to be able to fix what needs fixing. For example, when I go to get my car fixed, I have trust that the people working at the dealership have a lot more knowledge in that area, and know what to do. While individuals may have some knowledge of things, trust in abstract systems means that people need to rely on others.