EXERCISE 9

EXERCISE 9:

General topics that pertain to the syllabus:

·         Visual culture and lifestyle in the digital age:

This is the trend to use imagery from technology. This means that technology will provide information as there is shift from the traditional industry to industrialization. Everything will soon be computerized. Digital format can make things easier as it is a huge upgrade and also expensive. It can save trees and paper if books are all digital, this makes it accessible to be carried around as opposed to the weight of about 10 books but the poor people might not have access to this stuff.

·         Global Village:

When people are linked through the easy medium of travel such as mass media or electronic communications and this unifies them as one community. Technology plays a major part in shaping this as it acts as the spread of information to keep everyone updated and connected with all of the latest around the world. People are also able to communicate with one another through technological devices: e.g. phones, laptops (Skype), etc.

·         Postmodernism:

This movement was the rejection of modernism, Avant garde and a passion for the new. It was a radical break and can be seen as the extension of the modernist experimentation. New ways of representing information included the television and film (after colour and sound was introduced) and computers. Styles and fashions from the past have been brought into the modern day which is used way out of their original context. Fashion is one example as well as TV shows of the past have been recreated. Other visual forms used are graphic novels, cartoons or comics.

·         Culture industry:

The concept adopted by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer with reference to the Marxist philosophy. This means that popular culture is a factory structure. This structure is where standardized goods are manufactured to gain popularity. The goods are referred to as “creative” goods. They don’t really symbolise creativity but are the accepted forms of creativity that the masses have produced.

·         Virtual reality- interactive media:

This is the world of computer technology that is used as a form of communication. The virtual world includes devices such as headphones, 3d glasses, and many more. Whether it is gaming or any other activity, the devices immerse a user with visuals and sounds from the virtual world. These are mainly for entertainment purposes but it has influences in the medical and military fields as well. An example of a virtual world would be the WII Kinect, this allows the user to play games with the use of cameras to communicate and use their bodies to interact with the game.

 

Links:

http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/postmodernism/modules/introduction.html

http://www.yourdictionary.com/global-village

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-cultural-industry.html

http://www.techterms.com/definition/virtualreality