Tuesday 23 February 2021

Baudrillard's theory of postmodernism

Features of postmodern media

  • One feature of a postmodern media product is irony.
  • Another feature is parody and homage. Homage is when the media product copies something from a genre, style and person to show respect, parody is when this is done in a mocking way.
  • Bricolage is using older media products in your own product to make something new.
  • Intertextual references is where the director makes a subtle or direct reference to another media product.
  • Have fragmented narratives and crosscuts between scenes.
  • Self reflexivity, this is where one of the characters are aware they are in the show, breaking the fourth wall.
  • There are common themes in postmodern media such as what if, the future, technology and human existence.
  • They have a lack of reality (lack of versimilitude) they are not very realistic.
Media products used to be grounded in reality but overtime have got less realistic.
Simulacra is a product that tries to be realistic and claims to be but it is in fact so artificial that it is not realistic. It is hard to distinguish between reality and a simulacra, this hyper reality. A simulacra is a copy of something with very little link to reality. 

Baudrillard applies to stranger things as stranger things has lots of homage to other media products such as stephen king films and E.T. Stranger things has common themes of postmodern media products as it focuses on what if's and technology allowing unknown creatures into the real world. Stranger things therefore has a lack of reality and could be seen as a simulacra as despite being set in the real world it features mind control and another dimension all things that are not realistic.

Baudrillard applies to titanium because of the homages in titanium to other media products such as E.T. It is also an similacra as despite being set in a realistic world it features a girl with mind powers and she is getting hunted by the government, which is not realistic.

Baudrillard applies to Jungle book as it is not very realistic a simulacra as it features talking animals.

Baudrillard applies to minecraft in the way that minecraft has intertextual references to other media products with skin and texture packs.