1. Sian Lynes
Discuss why some people are not convinced by the idea of postmodern media.
Postmodern media texts are characterised by their distinct distrust of theories and ideologies,
drawing attention to conventions through the manipulation of time, space and narrative.
Often, a rejection of traditional "grand-narratives" are challenged, as theorised by Lyotard,
that refer to great theories of history, science, religion and politics. These narratives create
totalising forms such as love and utopian idealistic visions of reality. Therefore postmodern
text create a deliberate distortion of reality which some audiences may find difficult to
comprehend. Postmodernist text are heavily reliant on being read by a literature audience
through the prolific use of intertextuality through concepts such as bricolage. This may cause
some audiences difficulty in understanding these references and ultimately the meaning of the
text.
An example of such controversial postmodern texts is the film "Drive", directed by Nicolas
Winding Refn, which is characterised through its evident application of hyper reality, as
theorised by Baudrillard. This is exemplified through its reference to the video game genre, a
medium in itself which never represents reality. The film is set in Los Angeles, which is
represented through an unnatural point of view, such as with a bird's eye view. The
manipulation of a viewpoint in combination with the L.A. backdrop and the Kid's violent
behaviour is reminiscent of the popularised modern day game "Grand Theft Auto".
Baudrillard's 'State of Simulcra' theory can be applied here as L.A. is represented in a dark and
vacant way, often challenging the audience's cultural knowledge presented to us by the media
which often perceives L.A. as a glamorous place. Therefore this entirely disjunctive simulated
world may not convince some audiences as its representation of reality serves no relation to
their own.
By extension some audiences may reject 'Drive' as it deliberately toys with their decoding
system. This is exemplified through Refn's deliberate construction of mise-en-scene to
manipulate their perception of time. This can be seen through the contrasting use of modern
day race cars in contrast to retro cars seen in the garage. Fiske's development of Barthes' semic
code can be applied here are the audience can only base their knowledge of previous texts to
indicate the time period. This results in the audience's decoding system to become confused,
which resultantly may cause them to be unconvinced by the film's entire representation.
Additionally, the text clearly rejects modernist ideas that as history moves forward in time
humanity makes progress, complying with Lyotard's theory. This ambiguity arguably creates a
parallel universe that is not in line with humanity itself.
The lack of The Kid's back story given to us by the director can be argued as postmodern as
modernist media products are often reliant on this to progress the narrative. By denying the
audience of his 'real' name' also this also challenges traditional features seen in other media
texts. The protagonist also lacks dialogue throughout the film which is reminiscent of 'The
Man with No Name' a stock character in the American western film genre, such as Client
Eastwood in the 1966 "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly". The deletion of dialogue, supporting
Levi-Strauss concept of bricolage, can be considered postmodern as the audience's decoding
system is therefore reliant on his behaviour and stylistic costuming in order for the narrative
to progress. Therefore some audiences may be unconvinced by this element as they would

2. Sian Lynes
argue that in order for a narrative to progress systematically dialogue would have be a
significant feature. In this case, the progression is too heavily reliant on the audience's reading
which may cause over complications in some instances for some audiences to continue
completing the text.
Some audiences may not be convinced by postmodern media present within the Television
industry. This can be seen with "Flight of the Conchords", where a real-life duo Bret McKenzie
and Jermaine Clement, play fictionalised versions of themselves as two man band from New
Zealand. The set up of the text is completely ironic, with the style of the film being heavily
self-reflexive. The opening credits have a "Cut-and-paste" style animation which create an
hyper reality as inanimate objects are personified, such as dancing trees and bushes. The
narrative revolves around the character's ability to burst into song in order to 'sing their
feelings'. This can be seen in the episode "The Tough Brets" in which Bret starts a gang.
Intertextuality is seen in the song "Stay Cool" which is reminiscent of the musical "West Side
Story" opening scenes which Bret's theatrical dancing is a reference to. Some audiences may
not be convinced by the media as the use of bricolage to create a sitcom, musical, music video,
drama comedy is completely unrealistic. By addition, the episodic and unpredictable nature of
the narrative may cause the attention span of some audiences to be reduced as they become
immune to the "shock value" which is reoccurring.
Another example of a postmodernist texts which some individuals may be unconvinced by is
the American adult animated sitcom "Family Guy". The show is heavily self-reflexive,
continually acknowledging that it is a pre-constructed text. This is evident in the episode
special "Blue Harvest" in which the episode is an entire parody of the 1977 film "Stars Wars IV:
A New Hope". The entire text is an implicit commentary of the Star Wars franchise, complying
to Genette's theory of metatextuality. Audiences may no be convinced of its manipulation of
time and space present evident in the introductory title of "A long time ago, but somehow in
the future". This complies with theorists such as Lyotard which reject conventional "grand
narratives" as seen in modernist media. Instead the text favours Lyotard's conception of a
"micro-narrative" that reflect diversity and can go in any direction, often being unpredictable.
It is this element of unpredictability that some audiences may not be convinced by, often
preferring the linear and coherent structure of modernist texts in order to make sense of the
outcome.
This non-linear narrative is also present as Luke breaks the "fourth wall" when he introduces
London Symphony Orchestra and composer John Williams. This technique directly creates
disjuncture in which the audience are away that it is completely hyper real. This abrupt and
unusual technique emphasises the postmodernist aspect of style over content. In this case, the
parodied Star Wars narrative is interrupted to add the stylistic features of the musical score.
Again, some audiences may be unconvinced by this approach as the scene is completely
irrelevant to the overall plot of the film. This complies with Frederic Jameson's criticism of
postmodernism as "vacuous" and trapped in circular references, having no deeper meaning or
purpose to the output of the film.
Postmodern music, like both TV and film, is irrespective of boundaries and often divulges
itself into other genres. The musician Lady Gaga is an example of a postmodern artist which

3. Sian Lynes
some audiences are not convinced by. Firstly, her stage name "Gaga" adopts immediate
connotations of the unusual and crazy. In addition, this name takes inspiration from the rock
band Queen's 1984 hit "Radio Ga Ga". Levi-Strauss' concept of bricolage is evidently applicable
here, as her stage name adopted the recognisable debris from the song. Often, she creates a
conscious simulated version of herself, often adorning unusual and unconventional outfits
with her stage performances. Therefore complying with theorists such as Baudrillard through
the State of Simulcra as the signs of herself become representations and mask reality. Some
audiences may reject this concept, as they can no longer relate to signs of the "real" and
ultimately distrust her role as an artist as more of a spectacle.
Jonathan Kramer's theory that postmodern music includes quotations of or references to
music of many cultures can be applied to her song "Bad Kids". The self-reflexive introduction
is an explicit reference to Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us". This resultant
combination of a hip-hop rock and dance-pop, and use of intertextuality, differs it from other
forms of music. In addition, Kramer's definition that postmodern music is, on some level or
some way ironic can be applied to her feature on the self-mocking American TV show "The
Simpsons". Here, she sings a song "Superstar" often conforming to the media's representation
of herself as 'weird' in order to create a self-mocking humour. This humour is reliant on the
audience's cultural knowledge of herself, supporting theorists such as Fiske's semic code, to
decode the significance of the text. This then ironic humour may be disputed by some
individuals as it is just a continual circular referentiality that leads to no new outcome. This
supports criticism that nothing in postmodern media is 'original'.
Conclusively, these examples of postmodern media exemplify why not all audiences are
convinced by the supposed logic of their construction. Some may see these texts of imitation
of one another and therefore no longer participate in a meaningful output. Rather they are
stuck in a circular referentiality.