Post-Modernism & the Internet

2 arguments on post-modernism remain in my mind from the time i heard it in class, and until now as i type this blog post. The first is that modes of information has replaced the modes of production as the lynchpin for social development. The second is the claim that Society is increasingly "simulated"; that is, "conjured, in images and discourses that substitute for people's experience of a hard and fast reality."

After hearing these two arguments, the first thing that popped into my mind was the internet; the idea of information being at the tip of your fingers, within seconds, and the fact that it is so widespread and almost universal makes it undeniably "post-modernist" (in my thinking, at least). But being the reasonable and logical person that i am, aided by the habit of research that i have acquired throughout college and the need for me to bank on concrete evidence to justify my own claims, i went on and researched on the connection and significance between post-modernism and the internet. 

In the pursuit of knowledge that will help me link both concepts, i am left plagued with the following questions: 1. Can the post-modernist theory adequately explain the phenomena that is the internet? 2. Is the internet an evident, concrete manifestation of the post-modernist theories? 3. What does post-modernism day about the internet? is it a force for good, or a force for evil in society? 

I found a study named "A Postmodernist Study of the Internet", by Michael S.H. Heng of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The title itself is very self-explanatory, and felt like a godsend to me as it directly addresses my inquiry on the relationship between post-modersnism and the internet and that the process of acquiring such information only took a few type searches on google.  ironic? comical? i'd like to think of it as more of the latter. and a little of the former.  

The study i found has had the following conclusions that highlight the paradox  of the internet in relation to post-modernism:

FIRST: There are two conflicting dimensions of the internet: "As a technology, the Internet has opened new pastures of opportunity for those who are not in the seats of established power and wealth" (Heng, 1998). & "Anderson (1996) observes that “software is a booming industry controlled by giants" (Heng, 1998). Despite the free-flow of information, absence of hierarchies, more opportunities for networks to organize, we can still see that the the "big guns" control the industry", and in the presence of claiming "internet is a form of anarchy", control is still found to be exercised even in the cyber world. which i find quite ironic. this point is synthesized in this statement: 

"Though recognising the fact that postmodemism is deconstructionist, and with the Internet, there are new avenues of opportunity for those not in power or wealth to voice protest, we must not lose sight of the fact that real powers are still strongly entrenched" (Heng, 1998).

SECOND: The argument of post-modernism having information as an element that paves the way for development (as it is told in class by Mr. Contreras), this study has found that such a claim does not always hold true for the internet:

"Floridi (1996) observes that the Internet is fostering the growth of knowledge, while at the same time generating unprecedented forms of ignorance. While the Net provides a platform for dissident political groupings to spread their otherwise suppressed views, it also acts as a channel for racist, sexist and fascist groups to peddle their goods" (Heng,1998).

after what i have found, and based on my initial questions on the topic, i have found that: 1. In the presence of many paradoxes found in the internet, the post-modernist theory cannot adequately explain the internet phenomena. 2. The internet is not an evident manifestation of the post-modernist theories. while it may have many qualities that are no coincidence to the claims of post-modernism, the paradox in paradigms seen in the internet shows us that there is more to the internet than its resemblance to the post-modernist theory. 3. although it may show positive societal impacts, the internet is not all good and may have its negative effects, as seen i the two arguments found in the study.

References:

Heng, M. S. (1998). A Postmodernist Study of the Internet. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics. Amsterdam: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE, here's a funny video i found on the internet that serves as a paradox in itself: How the internet as a sources of information has replaced the normal modes of production such as newspapers and magazines, but also how there are some things that technology cannot replace.