HyperNormalisation wades through the culmination of forces that have driven this culture into mass uncertainty, confusion, spectacle and simulation. Where events keep happening that seem crazy, inexplicable and out of control—from Donald Trump to Brexit, to the War in Syria, mass immigration, extreme disparity in wealth, and increasing bomb attacks in the West—this film shows a basis to not only why these chaotic events are happening, but also why we, as well as those in power, may not understand them. We have retreated into a simplified, and often completely fake version of the world. And because it is reflected all around us, ubiquitous, we accept it as normal.
This epic narrative of how we got here spans over 40 years, with an extraordinary cast of characters—the Assad dynasty, Donald Trump, Henry Kissinger, Patti Smith, early performance artists in New York, President Putin, Japanese gangsters, suicide bombers, Colonel Gaddafi and the Internet. HyperNormalisation weaves these historical narratives back together to show how today’s fake and hollow world was created and is sustained.
This shows that a new kind of resistance must be imagined and actioned, as well as an unprecedented reawakening in a time where it matters like never before.
The philosopher Plato wrote a famous work called ‘The Republic’.
He wrote The Republic as a series of conversations, which often featured Plato’s famous teacher Socrates. Here is the translated text of the ‘Allegory of the Cave’:
An allegory is a story in which characters and events stand for real life situations.
‘Socrates begins by asking Glaucon (Plato’s brother) to imagine a cave inhabited by prisoners who have been imprisoned since childhood. These prisoners have been imprisoned in such a way that their legs and necks are fixed, forcing them to gaze at a wall in front of them, unable to move their heads. Behind the prisoners is a fire, and between the fire and the prisoners is a raised walkway. Along this walkway is a low wall, behind which people walk carrying objects “…including figures of men and animals made of wood, stone and other materials.”. In this way, the walking people are compared to puppeteers and the low wall to the screen over which puppeteers display their puppets. Since these walking people are behind the wall on the walkway, their bodies do not cast shadows on the wall faced by the prisoners, but the objects they carry do. The prisoners cannot see any of this behind them, being only able to view the shadows cast upon the wall in front of them. There are also echoes off the shadowed wall of sounds the people walking on the road sometimes make, which the prisoners falsely believe are caused by the shadows.’
Socrates suggests that, for the prisoners, the shadows of artifacts would constitute reality. They would not realize that what they see are shadows of the artifacts, which are themselves inspired by real humans and animals outside of the cave.
Here is a video version of the allegory:
This allegory can be usefully applied to postmodern ideas about the media:
We are the prisoners – the ‘sheeple’
The media is the fire and the puppeteers who cast shadows
We think of the media as ‘reality’
We will be free if we can see beyond and behind the illusion.
Or as Russell Brand suggests: ‘Look for the light source itself, don’t follow the shadows on the wall.‘ – in other words, look beyond the images and try and find the truth, whatever that is.
Re-read the Rizzlekicks lyrics – any links to Plato’s cave?
Consumer Culture / Hyperreality / Simulacra / Hegemony – but also self-reflexivity/pastiche/parody/loss of historical reality.
TOWIE (THE ONLY WAY IS ESSEX)
You either love reality TV or you hate it. Mr Gregson loathes it – Mrs Cobb loves it! But why?
Mrs Cobb would argue she is a pluralist viewer, who watches it with a critical academic mind whilst Mr Gregson doesn’t even afford it the time, saying it is vacuous, boring, skin thinned and pointless.
Whether you love it though or hate it, reality TV is part of our media landscape and a great example for postmodern media.
So take some time to consider Reality TV in all its varying forms as it could give you some really good, up to date and pertinent examples to mention in your exam.
In case TOWIE turns your stomach….you could choose to talk about MiC instead. Just a posher version of TOWIE – that’s all.
Above is a really good blog post on hypereality and Made in Chelsea.
Made in Chelsea paints a very vivid picture of the rich and elite in London. From an outsider looking in, it suggests to a large extent that all ‘English’ people live this way. I have friends from different countries who have said to me ‘Is that what England is like?’ (referring to the show) …well quite simply no. London is very diverse and has many different cultures, yet Made in Chelsea does not have one ethnic person in the show. Whilst it is true that Chelsea is very elite, not everyone who lives there is white (believe it or not). Yet the programme tells another story.
This show definitely blurs the distinction between fiction and documentary and soap opera. The cast are exposed by producers in a certain way to show them off as distinct characters that the audience can relate to for entertainment purposes. Spencer is shown as the ‘villain’ of the show, Jamie, Proudlock and Francis are shown as the ‘laddish’ bachelors and the girls Lucy, Rosie and Louise etc. are the upper class women, who are obsessed with material possessions and their taste in fashion is nothing less than a six figure digit. The whole aesthetic of the programme is to exude wealth, high society members and their lavish lifestyles, which is somewhat a fantasy for many of the viewers.
Consumer Culture – features all the right brands: Harrods, Dorchester Hotel, Sloane Square etc. The programme is even sponsored by Rimmel – Get the London Look. You too could be this gorgeous!
Hegemony – capitalist, bourgeois, conservative view on life. Work hard and you too could be like this. The fact that most of the characters are wealthy by inheritance and none of them seem to do a day’s work between them is irrelevant. Capitalism pays off and MiC is evidence of this (the fact that it is completely constructed and contrived should not deter you from aspiring to this lifestyle). This is quite a good powerpoint on examples of ‘hegemony’ in action – it is very USA based but you will get the idea of how the messages of what is right, expected and wrong are constantly reinforced from ‘up above’ or ‘elsewhere’ although there are some steps to counteract this mindset, as you will see at the end of the presentation.
Hyperreality – the blurring between the real people and their on screen characters is blurred. This is endorsed by them tweeting when it is unclear as to whether they are ‘in character’ or as themselves. We talk about them as though they are real.
Simulacra – the original becomes irrelevant. We believe the simulated world. This is how it is. We value the simulated world more than we do the ‘real’ world.
Watch any of the other ‘scripted reality’ TV shows – The Real (really? come on!) Housewives series, Teen Mom etc and you will see exactly the same elements that indicate they are part of this type of postmodern phenomena.
BAUDRILLARD IS THE NEXT THEORIST WE ARE GOING TO EXPLORE IN THE UNIT ON POSTMODERN MEDIA.
He takes Jameson’s ideas about media and starts exploring what impact these will have on the audience. He suggested a number of key ideas:
Consumer Culture: We are living in a world in which we define ourselves through the product we buy and the brands we support. Consumption is not just about need, it’s also about personal identity.
Hegemony: That we are controlled / conditioned by the media, which encourages us to buy into a culturally dominant set of ideas, as Russell Brand said, ‘..to keep us spell bound and stupid, it’s bread and circuses.’ Or as Matty Healy says – we are just ‘sheeple‘!
Simulacra: As Jameson says we have lost contact with the original idea (or referent) through the continued recycling of ideas and images. Baudrillard takes this one step further and suggests that we now believe that the copy of the copy of the copy is reality. We are like the prisoners in the Allegory of Plato’s Cave.
Hyper-Reality: By living in a world of recycled images and ideas that have lost the connection to the original idea/image we are the boundaries between reality and media reality are becoming blurred and confused. In other words, we are all residents in the media reality, which are merely shadows on the wall.
Here is a PowerPoint on these ideas and which gives two thought provoking examples:
This teacher, in a hat, explains it very well! Mr G – you need to get a hat!
In order to try and understand and locate and recognise how his ideas are apparent in today’s postmodern media, a really easy place to witness pastiche, parody etc are in advertising.
All of these adverts are examples of how the postmodern impulse manifests itself in advertising and marketing – pastiche, parody, intertextuality, Easter eggs and self-reflexivity abound.
Don’t be frightened about the term ‘postmodern’. If the context confuses you i.e. what went before that is not overly important. In fact why not just approach the topic as this is us looking at the media that surrounds us at the moment and we are looking at various criteria that can be used to analyse, critique and review it.
Postmodern is a term used to describe much of contemporary media that surrounds us today! SIMPLES – and is can be analysed, critiqued in reference to various ideas, theories, terms etc. Various ideas, theories exist that try to describe, explain its form and purpose and the main theorists we will be looking at, all have different ideas about what makes a text postmodern.
However, some of the texts we will look at will be postmodern in their construction/contents and some will also critique the postmodern condition.
Here are the key ideas that encapsulate what postmodernism is all about:-
Postmodernism:
is a movement from the late 20th century
represents a departure from modernism
challenges authority
rejects the idea of status/ value
makes fun of existing texts – parody/satire
is a critique of what we assume to be real
copies ideas/styles from existing texts
suggests there is no absolute ‘truth’ – merely socially constructed truths
gives a skeptical interpretation
is a reinterpretation of classical ideas, forms and practices
questions our perception of art & culture
distrusts dominant ideologies
mixes styles
plays with reality
challenges ‘fixed’ ideologies
is playful
blurs reality and representation
is retro
is really hard to define
Some key terms that we will consider over the coming weeks – pastiche, parody, quotation, intertextuality, loss of historical reality, cultural competence, hyper reality, simulacra, consumer culture, hegemony, grand narratives.
The coursework is over. ‘The Blog is dead. Long live the Blog!‘ (this, by the way, is an intertextual reference with a hint of parody, so could be classed as an example of postmodern literacy BUT OF COURSE you have to be culturally competent to get it!!)
Heads down…..brains engage.
Off we goooo….
A postmodern joke – get it? No…?
Still stuck? Here are some video explanations:
It is all pretty tricky at the start – but DON’T PANIC! All you need to know at this stage is that it is a way of ….well, a way of….a manner of….a view about…a style of…..well you know even, we find this hard to define. So…..
TASK – POSTMODERN TERMS
In pairs, or small groups, how would you define Postmodernism in 1 – 20 words? If you can do it, you are a super scholar! Even university professors seem to struggle to agree, but it would be good to have a go. Refer to the videos and the slideshare. Be prepared to share it with the class.
Now that you have revisited Digital Technologies and written an essay on it, you can use the remaining lessons this week to revisit the other areas of the Music Industry that you will need to have a handle on for the exam. To do this you should complete your…
These have been summarised for you in our whole class case study slide show
Take a copy of the whole class slideshow and slim it down to 12 case studies which you need to learn.
Re-read / Re-Watch Anima – Superb Case Study!
Listen to the Voicethread of the marketing 60″ case studies.
Review the material on the departmental blog (Exam Paper 1>The Music Industry)
If this is complete with about 12 case studies, you should have all you need to answer a question on the Music Industry. Remember, you can make the case studies work for you – not exactly ‘shoe horn’ them in, but they can all be used to evidence, illustrate a variety of key debates, discussions about audiences and institutions in the music industry.
Critical Reflection Final Submission
This should be copied into the blog as a new blog post.
You should include the following before the essay
Your full name
The brief in full
How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of ‘branding’?
How did your research inform your products and the way they use or challenge conventions?
How do your products represent social groups or issues?
How do your products engage with the audience?
The essay should include the images (with captions). You should wrap the text around the images
All the section headings and questions in the body of the essay should be removed
You should make the following terms bold:
Branding
Research
Conventions
Use
Challenge
Representation
Star Image
Audience
Golden Gregsons Submission
You should submit your final coursework products for nomination to one of the categories in the Media & Film Studies Awards
“Digital technologies have transformed the media world.” Discuss with reference to the media area you have studied.
In class you will recap on some key terminology related to the area of Digital technologies in the music industry:
Globalisation – the idea that the world is a small place now due to technologies and cultures, countries and religions are now without borders
Digitalisation – the process in which communication is now quicker and cheaper and has meant the world is one small market place
Democratisation – the idea that with digital technologies, the world has easier and more equal access to news, commodities, products and the ability to communicate
Converged Technology – the process by which multiple devices are now easily combined on one device to provide multiple functions.
Cross Media Convergence – different media platforms using each other to spread the word using an integrated advertising campaign
Web 2.0 – the web that is now interactive and fully open to producers and consumers interacting
Streaming/Download – how music is distributed and consumed in this digital age
TASK 1
Then find your 2020 Music Industry case study index that most of you completed in lockdown.
Revisit it and also the Music Industry case study that your class will have completed too.
TASK 2
Now, on this sheet – put your name down and briefly outline who you are going to present to the class in a 60 second, open mic fashion. This way, we won’t have repeat case studies.
TASK 3
Then using the following format, that you all used in the voicethread for the marketing case studies:
Outline the case study – Headline – what is it all about – ‘Sony rule the world!’
2 x key – facts, stats from the case study
1 x key significance – include key terms such as converged technology, cross media convergence, target audience, globalisation, democratisation, digitalisation, viral marketing, Web 2.0 and hook back to why this is linked to how digital technologies have transformed the music industry.
TASK 4
Present your 60″ open mic Digital technology in the music industry case study to the class. We will record them and then this will be a fabulous revision resource.
We will then use some of these ideas to prep for the music industry essay, you will start in class and complete at home.
Revisit your two essays that you completed during lockdown on Marketing and Ownership/Production and start to redraft them according to the feedback you received.
They can then be updated once submitted for a remark and returned and updated on the folder.
