Communications and Media

David Harveys work on postmodernism is the reaction to the modernistic tendencies of the past and how the changes took place in the art, architecture, literature etc. David Harveys book The Condition of Postmodernity brings the postmodern theory within the paradigm of social spheres.

    Harveys argues that since the beginning of 1972, there has been considerable change in the social, economic, as well as cultural spheres bringing in the new sensitivity in the way of thinking in these various fields and disciplines. Harvey says postmodernism is related to the changes that had taken place in the capitalism and to entirely new ways of experiencing time-space as he describes it as positivistic, technocentric, and rationalistic, and the belief in linear progress, absolute truths and rational planning of ideal social orders, under standardized condition of knowledge and production. (Harvey, 35) Postmodernism is modification or deviation from the modernistic mode of thinking. These changes are in a form of new kinds of methods of production, new methods of providing financial services, emerging of new markets, new innovations in technologies and commercial establishments and increase in the employment in the service sector. Also there is uneven development between different regions. To this context, Fredric Jameson says that postmodernism is not a fashion or a form but it is an overriding culture which gives space to different traits yet comparatively inferior. (Jameson, 1)

In the book, Harvey brings out the silhouette of culture that marks the post modernism, construes shifts in the global capitalism and understands how various economic endeavors have reduced the time and space, and also culture by extension. Time and Space is the essential part of the life cycle of human beings that has made the people increase the speed of the production, reduce the turnover time of capital, increase the speed and reduce the distance. It is a time of electronic transformation where every thing is speeding up and increasing the pace of time. The speed of travel has also increased encompassing the financial arena that has captured the whole globe in a very short time which was unimaginable in the past. Harvey saw the post modernity as the birth of the modern system of mass production with a comparatively fixed system for capital accumulation and for the same he took the concept of the Marxs theory of capital. Again in the book he elaborates the Fredrick Jamesons argument of post modernism as the cultural logic of late capitalism. (Harvey, 42) In other words the production process has witnessed so much flexibility that can quickly correspond to the changes in the market, reducing both the space and time.

             Thirdly, Harvey argued that post modernity is a break up from Fordism, which is a term formulated by the Antonio Gramsci to explain the regulations in the industries and the accumulation of the wealth that would have occurred during an era Keynesian. Now it is the era of post-Fordism involving the new methods of production linked with socio economic growth that prevail in many of the industrialized nations. It is associated with specialized means of production, with each one of them performing specialized tasks.

    Postmodernism is also marked by the increase in the domination of television and culture, with people having a greater accessibility to mass media and telecommunication. His strongest point is the way he conceptualized the trend of the postmodernism and how it is different from the modernism. He is quite right in stating that the telecommunications since 1950 has completely changed with the emergence of new media and transnational media conglomerates. The commercial media system has changed from the small fragmented national industry to vast transnational media corporations who have given us the new means not only to communicate with each other but also to fully associate with each other. There is also a complete change in consumer culture this change in the trend is an amplification of the fact that society is moving towards postmodernism.

    To this extent, the whole media and culture revolve around consumerism as the media advertisers and media corporate are in search of the new programs. Thus they are transferring societies and at the same time integrating them into the global network of cultures (Chalaby, 154) Harvey is the true man of his words, as he describes the films, music, art and literature from the eyes of the modern man and how they use it. In his words there is a break from the old and Fredric Jameson too said that there is a newness in the whole concept be it any form of art for e.g. abstract expressionism in painting, existentialism in philosophy, complete plot in the novel, in the films or the modernist school of poetry, we can see and feel the immense pulse of postmodernism in them. (Jameson, 1) Harvey was able to see and feel the pulse of the media and how it has come closer to the people. He gave the examples of the musicians and film makers to show they have modified the modernist movements to give in something new and refreshing catering to the global taste. But one of his biggest drawbacks is his language which is obscure, as there is lack of clarity and how the way the new means of media is a deviation from the modernism and how we can call the postmodernistic as a deviation from modernism in the context of culture and art.

Harveys concept of post modernism is read in the light of the various new trends and happenings in this world. While reading all through his works, the questions that emerge are the way links between capitalism and postmodernism are created Is there a need to add explanation to understand these links Another question that comes to light is though Harvey has taken the postmodernism in all the social, economic, art and cultural spheres yet he has left out the most important political achievements that had great impact on the postmodernism, for e.g. the political endeavors of 1960. Was he right in doing so There also has been intellectual influences and how they had happened Cultural dominance can also play its part in creating influence how Harvey can incorporate cultural dominance in explaining the variety in postmodernism

    There is no doubt a fact that capitalism has played the most considerable role in defining the trends in postmodernism but there are far more roles in the way we shape our contemporary ideas, values and practices which are far more autonomous than explained by Harvey.