Download Theory? - Brian Schrank

Postmodernism
Metacommunication
Metacommunication
• Communicating about communication.
Metacommunication
• Communicating about communication.
• Leveraging the receiver’s body of
knowledge to build up more complex
communication.
Metacommunication
Metacommunication
Gregory Bateson’s
Theory of Metacommunication
• When dogs nip at each other one of them
can easily mistake the nip for the bite that
it denotes and start fighting.
Gregory Bateson’s
Theory of Metacommunication
• When dogs nip at each other one of them
can easily mistake the nip for the bite that
it denotes and start fighting.
• It mistakes the label for what it labels.
Gregory Bateson’s
Theory of Metacommunication
• “The playful nip denotes the bite,
Gregory Bateson’s
Theory of Metacommunication
• “The playful nip denotes the bite, but it
does not denote what would be denoted
by the bite.”
Gregory Bateson’s
Theory of Metacommunication
Gregory Bateson’s
Theory of Metacommunication
Trolling
Woman Kills Virtual Husband
Pastiche
• Reflexive imitation of a previous style in
media.
• Metacommunication (you are aware it is
an imitation of another source)
• Not usually critical
• Transcodes form rather than content
– But unlike usual transcoding it doesn’t attempt
to erase or replace the original
Pastiche
Parody
4chan.org
Postmodernism Essay
Postmodernism Essay
• Assume you are writing to educated colleagues
that don’t need summary explanations of past
theory.
Postmodernism Essay
• Assume you are writing to educated colleagues
that don’t need summary explanations of past
theory.
• Just cite theorists and quickly get to your new
ideas.
Postmodernism Essay
• Assume you are writing to educated colleagues
that don’t need summary explanations of past
theory.
• Just cite theorists and quickly get to your new
ideas.
• Original Theory
– Baudrillard is the model
Postmodernism Essay
• Assume you are writing to educated colleagues
that don’t need summary explanations of past
theory.
• Just cite theorists and quickly get to your new
ideas.
• Original Theory
– Baudrillard is the model
• Advance a new systematic way of looking at either
all new media, or a subset of new media.
Postmodernism Essay
• Assume you are writing to educated colleagues
that don’t need summary explanations of past
theory.
• Just cite theorists and quickly get to your new
ideas.
• Original Theory
– Baudrillard is the model
• Advance a new systematic way of looking at either
all new media, or a subset of new media.
• You can frame your research by past theory
– For example, citing that Baudrillard’s simulacra model is
an adequate foundation, but needs major modification
Your Primary Objective:
is not to prove your
understanding of
postmodern theory.
Your Primary Objective:
is to propose a new
contemporary theory.
What is a Theory?
• A theory is a logically self-consistent
framework for describing the behavior of
a related set of social (or natural)
phenomena.
• It originates from or is supported by
rigorous observations or by experimental
evidence.
coin cool new Terms
•
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•
‘Technoculture’
‘Cognitive Surplus’
‘Cyberdrama’
‘Flash Mob’
‘Griefing’
‘Frames’
– ‘Gestell’ (Heidegger)
– ‘Frame Analysis’ (Goffman)
pastiche cool Old Terms
• ‘Frottage’
• ‘Impressionism’
– What could ‘digital impressionism’ mean?
• ‘Avant-garde’
• ‘Cut-up method’
• ‘Military-Industrial Complex’
– Military-Entertainment Complex
– Military-Corporate Complex
Use Emblems for Analysis
Frederic Jameson in
Postmodernism: Or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism
use new Emblems
use new Emblems
use OLD Emblems
Claes Oldenburg (1960s work)
construct cool new Frameworks
• ‘Remediation’, ‘Permanent Crisis of Aura’
construct cool new Frameworks
•
•
•
•
•
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‘Remediation’, ‘Permanent Crisis of Aura’
‘Post-Postmodernism’
‘Post-Reality’
‘Participatory Simulacra’
‘Meta-Aura’
‘Meta-Art’
‘Meta-Simulation’
‘Simulation-Propaganda Model’
refer to Art
What is ‘Art’?
•
•
•
•
Media that stirs emotions?
Non-linguistic communication?
A political tool?
Nothing
– Art can’t exist because it can’t differentiate itself.
• Everything
– Whatever anyone says ‘art’ is.
• Socially determined
– ‘Art’, like all words/ideas are defined by groups
What is ‘Art’?
•
•
•
•
Media that stirs emotions? (Romantic, Classic)
Non-linguistic communication? (Modern)
A political tool? (Modern/Avant-garde)
Nothing (Modern/Postmodern)
– Art can’t exist because it can’t differentiate itself.
• Everything (Modern/Postmodern)
– Whatever anyone says ‘art’ is.
• Socially determined (Postmodern)
– ‘Art’, like all words/ideas are defined by groups