Media Studies - Post Modernism Exam Practice

Analyze the key characteristics of postmodern media. [15]

Post modernism and post modern media is believed to be a rejection of modernism. It aims to subvert the mainstream conventions of standard media narratives and today, postmodern characteristics are often used in almost all media texts today.  This essay will aim to provide and thoroughly explain the different characteristics and the effects that they have in postmodern texts, for example the usage of features like parody, self reflixivity, and satire, as well as the ideas of the hyper reality, using appropriate case studies and media theories.

An example of a media text that heavily employs postmodern elements like self reflexivity, satire, and parody would be the Disney+ Marvel Spin-off show She-Hulk, released in 2022, where said elements can be seen throughout a majority of episodes. Specifically, we can take a look at the show's season 1 finale, episode 9. Firstly, self reflexivity is used all throughout the episode in numerous scenes where the main character (She Hulk), addresses the audience directly and speaks out against the creative decisions that were taken in the writing of the episode, directly questioning "why the plot of her final episode isn't making any sense", talking to the writers of her show. We also see her literally "breaking the 4th wall" as she jumps through a Disney+ home screen and into Disney's Hollywood studio, and argues with her writers. This propels the plot of the story while also subverting audience expectations, and it is not something you usually see in superhero movies, hooking in audiences. The finale also utilizes heavy themes of satire in which She Hulk provides commentary on how all Marvel Movies /Shows follow the same plot, and are incredibly predictable. Audience most likely will agree with this and find it funny that a show by Marvel themselves would raise the point and criticize themselves. Examples of parody are also utilized, as we see She Hulk battle a machine that is responsible for all the plots and narratives of marvel movies, who is named "K.E.V.I.N". This is in reference to Marvel Executive Producer Kevin Feige, who in real life is responsible for a majority of creative decisions that occur in Marvel products. Audience's who understand the reference will most likely find the resemblance amusing, and is thus an example of Barthes' Cultural Code. However according to Guy Debord, these characteristics like satire often are hypocritical. Applying these ideas to the case of She Hulk, She Hulk includes satire on how all Marvel Movies follow the same plot line, however, She Hulk itself falls into this same category, as the key narratives of She Hulk still are in accordance with how superhero's movie always go, as the show still ends with the Super Hero winning the final battle and getting their happy ending, thus proving Debord's critiques of postmodernism to stand true. All in all though, She Hulk is an example of a text that is very post modern, and is the epitome of what a post modern text generally looks like.

Another key characteristic of postmodernism is the idea of hyper reality and heightened reality, vs reality itself. Jean Baudrillard believed that in this post modern age, it becomes nearly impossible for audiences to differentiate between media texts that are set in a hyper realities, and those that occur in our actual realities, due to the incorporation and occurrence of simulacra (representations that have lost all meaning, or never had any meaning in the first place) in media texts. He also believed that audiences actually preferred to live in this hyper reality, as it is more exciting and interesting than their “boring everyday lives”. Examples of media texts that audiences can still understand as the truth, and are still based in reality, would be David Attenborough's nature and wildlife documentaries, like "The Blue Planet" that can be streamed and watched on BBC Wildlife. In these documentaries, we are shown animals and plants in an ecosystem as we view their lives and behaviour. There still may be elements that are artificial like music or commentary that are included in post production, however these additions are still separated enough to the point where audiences can determine what is real and what is not. This leads to simulacra occurring only minimally, as what we see on the screen is usually what actually happens in real life, e.g. animals eating each other, or dying. On the other hand, examples of hyper-real texts would be the American reality television series "Keeping Up With The Kardashians", that focusses on the lives of the Kardashian-Jenner family, a high profile and elite American Family that rose to fame in the mid-2000's. Keeping Up With The Kardashian's is considered a hyper real text due to most of the events that are portrayed in the show being an example of simulacra - a made up version of reality that doesn't exist. For example, in Season 3 Episode 4 of the series, we see members of the family preparing for the 2022 Milan fashion week, but have conflicts arise between family members when things don't go as planned. The conflicts, arguments, and reactions that all family members have are all scripted events that the actors (in this case the Kardashians), have been told to say by directors and producers. These arguments and the emotions that were portrayed on the screen never actually happened in real life, and are thus all simulacra. As mentioned previously, Baudrillard would argue that audiences prefer to live in this hyper reality because it's more entertaining. However, according to Guy Debord, this is a problem due to these simulacra leading to a loss of authenticity in our everyday lives, as audiences can no longer determine what is real from what is not. This leads audiences into being misled to believing that the Kardashians are actually like this in real life, which they are not. This proves Debord's critique of postmodernism to stand true.