Postmodernism argues that the distinction between media and reality has collapsed in today's media-saturated world. We now live in a state of "hyper-reality" where media images define our reality rather than representing some independent true reality. Postmodernists believe we no longer distinguish between real things and their media representations, which have become our new reality.

1. Postmodernism

2. “The distinction between media and reality has collapsed, and we
now live in a ‘reality’ defined by images and representations. Images
refer to each other and represent each other as reality rather than
some ‘pure’ reality that exists before the image represents it – this is
the state of hyper-reality.”

3. • Postmodernists believe that in a media-saturated world, where we are constantly
immersed in media, 24/7 – and on the move, at work, at home – the difference
between reality and the media representation of it becomes blurred or even
entirely invisible to us.
• In other words we no longer have any sense of the difference between real things
and images of them, or real experiences and simulations of them. Media reality is
the new reality.
• Post modernism helps us to deconstruct texts
• It reflects modern society’s feelings of alienation, insecurity and uncertainties
concerning identity, history, progress and truth, and the break-up of traditions
such as religion, the family or even class which help to identify and shape who we
are and our place in the world. E.g. Michael Jackson are examples of
postmodernism because they have created or re-created different identities for
themselves.

4. • The theory suggests everything has now been made and all we can
now do to find indications of originality is to mix two old things
together.
• It is also blurring the object to time identity (e.g. Topshop in the
present, sells clothing from styles in the 50’s, 60’s and the 70’s)

5. • Some see this as a historical development
• The modern period came before, during which artists experimented
with the representation of reality, and the postmodern comes next,
where this idea of representation gets ‘remixed‘, played around with,
through pastiche, parody and intertextual references – where the
people that make media products purposely expose their nature as
constructed media products and make no attempt to pretend they
are ‘realist’.

6. How postmodern media is ‘remixed’
• Post modern texts are remixed through:
- Pastiche (imitation)
- Hybridity (mixture of things)
- Parody (spoof)
- Intertextual references
• Mixing texts together can gain value and characteristics from ones
that came before.

7. Intertextuality
• Intertextuality is the relationship which are forged (fake) between
different texts. (text’s influence)
• It reminds us that each text exists in relation to others
• Texts owe more to other texts than their own makers e.g. a television
programme may be part of a series and part of a genre, thus some of
the text is already created before it begins
• Texts provide contexts within which other texts may be created and
interpreted.
• E.g. James Bond films

8. Traditional media representation of reality
• The mass media were once thought of as holding up a mirror to, and
thereby reflecting, a wider social reality to what you the individual
would see in your local environment.
Post modernism representation of reality
• Reality is only definable in terms of the reflections of a mirror therefore it is
no longer a question of distortion since the term implies that there is a
reality, outside the surface imitations of the media, which can be distorted.
• We are copying copies and representing hyper reality as reality therefore…
• We are being influenced by a fake reality and that the real reality seems to
have been lost.
• We question what is reality now
• ‘Pure’ reality has been replaced by the hyper real where any boundary
between the real and imaginary is eroded.
• What we see on television, we see as the real and thus copy it within our
lives, so the real is being lost unconsciously.