One of the factors that characterize postmodernism is French philosopher, Jean Baudrillard who believed that simulation was a part of the postmodern era. The Beijiing's World Park is a good representation of this. Postmodernism has been characterized as a response to the conditions of the late modernity linked to the late stages of capitalism. Fredric Jameson, a cultural critic thought that postmodernism emphasize on economic and political conditions, including postwar globalization. With the advances of technology within travel,information, and health care this also contribute to the postmodern world. The term postmodern has been used to describe fashions and even politicians who produce themselves through media images and texts.
Postmodern doesn't necessary intersect modern. It does intersect late modern with the advancement of media, computerization, post industrialization, communication, and globalization.
"Postmodern is different from modernity because postmodern is characterize by the questioning of the supposed universality of structural knowledge, as well as a skepticism about the modern belief in the universality of progress". "Modern thought was characterized by a sense of knowing that was forward looking and positive and the belief that one could know what was objectively true and real by discerning the structural relations that underpin social formations and natural phenomena."
A simulacra is a simulation of something that is actually real. For example, when I went too Las Vegas in 2007 I seen the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower. These monument figures original existence is in New York City and Paris, France respectively.
Reflexivity is a way of making viewers aware of the means of cultural production. It undermines the illusion aspect of narration. It also encourages the viewer to think critical about the ideologies that is being spoken by the individual who is narrating.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Commodity Fetishism
The term commodity fetishism means that the production of the product is being emptied instead of it's abstract meaning. A good example of this is a well-known fashion company name Guess. Guess is a high end company that deals with fashion and accessories. The commodity would be the fashion(clothes,hats, and shoes) and the accessories(wallet,belts,and purses). The emptied meaning of this production would be how the fashion and accessories were made, was it made in a safe work environment, and how the products was shipped and packaged? The filling of this meaning would be the name Guess itself. Due to the popularity and prestige of this company people have a huge tendency to not even think about the empty meaning of these products.
The relationship of branding had change dramatically over the years. The start of the eighteenth and nineteenth century focus more on naming the products that they sold so it could appeal to consumers more. In 1886, the painter name John Everett made the connection with art and advertisement by painting a child blowing bubbles in a Pear Soap's ad. That ad help generate the product popularity and consumer interest. In today's advertisement market they focus more musicians,photographers, and illustrators in order to promote their product. Branding of today is a combination of naming,marketing,and cultural circulation. These are key factors to increase consumer interest in that particular product.
Metacommunication is when the ad speaks to the viewer about the processing of viewing the add. This type of advertisement allows advertisers to address consumers in a new way. There has been trend of "green" marketing going on these past few years. Advertisers take advantage of this trend by marketing the word "green" on many products. You also have to be aware of commodity fetishism dealing with "green" products. Some products that are advertise might not have any environmental benefits with the "green" movement.
The relationship of branding had change dramatically over the years. The start of the eighteenth and nineteenth century focus more on naming the products that they sold so it could appeal to consumers more. In 1886, the painter name John Everett made the connection with art and advertisement by painting a child blowing bubbles in a Pear Soap's ad. That ad help generate the product popularity and consumer interest. In today's advertisement market they focus more musicians,photographers, and illustrators in order to promote their product. Branding of today is a combination of naming,marketing,and cultural circulation. These are key factors to increase consumer interest in that particular product.
Metacommunication is when the ad speaks to the viewer about the processing of viewing the add. This type of advertisement allows advertisers to address consumers in a new way. There has been trend of "green" marketing going on these past few years. Advertisers take advantage of this trend by marketing the word "green" on many products. You also have to be aware of commodity fetishism dealing with "green" products. Some products that are advertise might not have any environmental benefits with the "green" movement.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Commodity Culture
Capitalism has similar relations to Commodity Culture. Capitalism depends on production and consumption of large amount of goods that has a tendency to be a overload to a consumer. Capitalism also relies on the desire and need for those specific goods in order for consumers to keep coming back. What a Commodity Culture does is when something is changed or adjusted amongst a social society, it adapts to that change. A good example of this was in the mini lecture called "Urbanization, Industrialization, and Commodity Culture". When men and women started to work more together in the workforce the commodity culture took advantage of this and started to market different gender products. I believe the similarities of the two is that they both is trying to market a product and relying on the consumer to purchased that product.
In consumer societies, there is a constant demand for new products and old products are being revamped to look new again to appeal to the consumer. In this society consumers must be able to afford the goods as well as possess leisure time to purchase these goods. At one point consumer societies relied on larger sectors of population living to get their goods out. Now with the rise of online commerce everyone has access to these goods.
Visual pleasure was a great concept for department stores. The idea to display goods in the window translated to consumer curiosity and increased attention to the store. Flaneur is a figure who moves through the city with a certain type of fashion and enjoys the activity of looking. The similarities between the two was to expose fashion to the public eye. The mobility affected this concept in a positive way. The gazing and visual pleasure of portraits and fashion increased in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with patrons.
In my own words, the presumption of relevance means when you are advertising and emphasizing the importance of that product. A good example is when you see commericials about getting hard rock abs in ten minutes. We all know it takes hard work and dedication to be in good shape, but the image of the man or woman with a "six pack" or "eight pack" on there stomach distorts that reality to consumers.
The statement "Advertising asks us not to consume products but to consume the signs in the semiotic meaning of the term" generally means that when a product is being advertise don't focus so much on the product at hand, but focus on the connotative meaning of the message that is being presented with the product.
In consumer societies, there is a constant demand for new products and old products are being revamped to look new again to appeal to the consumer. In this society consumers must be able to afford the goods as well as possess leisure time to purchase these goods. At one point consumer societies relied on larger sectors of population living to get their goods out. Now with the rise of online commerce everyone has access to these goods.
Visual pleasure was a great concept for department stores. The idea to display goods in the window translated to consumer curiosity and increased attention to the store. Flaneur is a figure who moves through the city with a certain type of fashion and enjoys the activity of looking. The similarities between the two was to expose fashion to the public eye. The mobility affected this concept in a positive way. The gazing and visual pleasure of portraits and fashion increased in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with patrons.
In my own words, the presumption of relevance means when you are advertising and emphasizing the importance of that product. A good example is when you see commericials about getting hard rock abs in ten minutes. We all know it takes hard work and dedication to be in good shape, but the image of the man or woman with a "six pack" or "eight pack" on there stomach distorts that reality to consumers.
The statement "Advertising asks us not to consume products but to consume the signs in the semiotic meaning of the term" generally means that when a product is being advertise don't focus so much on the product at hand, but focus on the connotative meaning of the message that is being presented with the product.
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