Post-Modernism Terminology

We looked at some post-modernism terminology that would be useful to use in our music video.

Alterity	·         Alterity is a philosophical principle of exchanging ones own perspective for that of the "other". ·         A lack of personal identity.
Aporia	A state of wonder and awe due to contemplating the mysteries of life and the universe.
Bricolage	Bricolage is a process by which traditional objects or languages are given a new, often subversive, meaning and context. Art technique where works are constructed from various available materials ("found items" or mass-produced "junk").
Catharsis	A form of emotional cleansing, first described by Aristotle, which occurs simply from the passive act of viewing a tragedy. A postmodern analogy is that the media's focus on violence is the method by which society cleanses its collective psyche.
Commodification	Term used in Marxist economics when economic value is assigned to something not traditionally considered a commodity. Examples of commodification include: ideas, culture, identity, and even the human body.
Constructivism	Term attributed to Jean Piaget, who described how knowledge is assimilated and internalised during the process of learning. Postmods contend that the process of matching internal models to the real world is inherently coloured by the bias of the observer.
Cybernetics	·         So called "cyborgs" are a common feature of science fiction (Popular examples include: Robocop and the Borg). ·         In postmodernism, much philosophical weight is given to this merging (and interdependence) of man and technology. ·         Many consider there to be similar impact due to reliance on everyday items like glasses or hearing aids.
Cyberpunk	·         Cyberpunk is a science fiction genre based in the near-future and often set in post-industrial dystopias. ·         The focus of Cyberpunk has been described as "high tech and low life": technology run amok with gritty film noir motifs. ·         Plots often involve hackers, artificial intelligences, and mega corporations. ·         Popular examples include: Snow Crash and Neuromancer
Cyberspace	"A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation... A graphic representation of data abstracted from banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding..."
Dadaism	Dadaism was a cultural movement which attempted to reject and destroy the existing standards in art through anti-art. Dada strove to have no meaning and its works are often described as random or without organisation.
Deconstruction	·         Deconstruction is a term coined by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida for a process of critiquing literature and language. ·         It analyses the built in bias of language and questions its ability to represent reality.
Dystopia	Dystopias are societies usually characterised by decay and/or oppressive governments.
Flattening of Affect	Flattening of affect is a scientific term describing a person's detachment and lack of emotional reactivity. Used in the postmodern literature to describe technology's dehumanising impact.
Hyperreality	·         Hyperreality is a symptom of postmodern culture where a person loses their ability to distinguish reality from fantasy. ·         The hyperreal world is often thought of as an idealised enhancement of reality, much preferable to the real life equivalent.
Kitsch	Kitsch was originally a German term used to categorise art that is considered an inferior copy of an existing style. Art (often commercially mass-produced) that is done in bad taste or tries to be overly campy or sentimental.
Panopticon	·         Panopticon is derived from the Greek opticon (see) and pan (all). ·         A type of prison designed to allow the guards to observe all prisoners without their knowledge. ·         The goal is to convey a feeling of "invisible omniscience" over the minds of the prisoners.
Pastiche	·         Pastiche is a tongue-in-cheek imitation or tribute used in literature, art, music, movies, etc. ·         Performed with respect to, or in homage to, other works (as opposed to parody which is done in ridicule or sarcasm).
Simulacra	·         A simulacra is a copy of a copy, so far removed from its original, that it can stand on its own and even replace the original. ·         "It is the generation by models of a real without origin or reality: a hyperreal.... substituting the signs of the real for the real". Examples included Disneyland, psychosomatic illness, and the Watergate scandal.
Semiotics	·         Semiotics is the study of signs, symbols, and how meaning is constructed and understood.
Virtual Reality	·         Virtual Reality is a simulation technology providing an immersive computer-generated environment. ·         The environment may be real (medical applications) or imagined (the Matrix).