modernity and post modernity

• modernity consists of 4 main characteristics; nation state, capitalism, rationality, science and technology, and individualism
• globalisation consists of 4 major changes to society; technological changes, economic changes, political changes, and changes in culture and identity
• modernity emerged as part of the enlightenment
• nation state is having laws and policies which became the focal point of society, shaping behaviour
• 3 theories emerged during the modernity era; marxism (1848), functionalism (1880’s), and feminism (1890’s).
• pre-modern society was based solely around religion
• capitalism is the private ownership of production and the increase of class inequality
• rationality, science and technology is the start of religion losing dominance, and science and technology starting to shape society
• individualism is the development of greater personal freedom, e.g. moving for a career
• technological changes is the increase in technology and communication, e.g. social media
• Giddens describes globalisation as the “increasing interconnectedness of societies, creating a global village”
• economic changes is increased opportunities to develop economies, e.g. electric money
• political changes is the development of more than one nation state, such as NATO
• changes in culture and identity is increased freedom and diversity, such as pick ‘n’ mix identity, and hybrid culture
• postmodernism led to the increase of fluidity, choice, and diversity
• there are 3 key features to a postmodern world; choice, media saturation, and simulacra
• “choice” in postmodernism is having more individualism, and not being constrained by fixed characteristics like class, gender, and ethnicity
• media saturation in postmodernism is being bombarded with media, causing ’death of the social‘
• simulacra in postmodernism is the blurring of ‘reality‘ and ‘hyper reality’
• postmodernists believe modernist theories are metanarratives, which try to explain society with one idea