Postmodernism

I have chosen the videos Educational Uses of Second Life and Introduction to Pop Art to identify some of the features of postmodernism.

In the video Educational Uses of Second Life an element of postmodernism that I could identify is the way in which knowledge is distributed and arranged in a postmodern society. Here the use of computer technologies modifies the way in which learners acquire knowledge. They become part of a virtual reality and they learn from experiencing themselves, for example by being part of different periods of history. This way of presenting information and topics may be more motivating for students, and they probably will be able to remember things better.

In the video Introduction to Pop Art I could find elements of postmodernism related to mass production and consumption. Clear examples are the images of famous people produced by Andy Warhol such as Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Onassis, Mao Tse-Tung, and Elizabeth Taylor. And also the Campbell’s tomato soup can.

These images exemplify the idea of simulacrum defined by Baudrillard claiming that the world of the mass media is full of imitations and copies without original.