POINTS OF VIEW
8081 – Social Theory 3 - Modernism and Postmodernism
We are just emerging from the end of the age of modernism. It is only now, however, that sociologists -- at least -- are beginning to understand what were the key features of modernism. Clearly it emerged with the Industrial Revolution, but it was not necessarily the same. It did include factors such as increased secularism, certainly urbanisation, scientific rationalism, but in particular it covered the move away from agricultural employment to industrial employment and then to service employment.
Post-modernism, on the other hand, is as yet poorly defined. It certainly seems parallel the move from industrial employment to service employment -- and in particular to knowledge industries. It also seems to have incorporated a move towards the more ephemeral, and parts of this are closely related to the concepts in marketing, which suggests that the image is at least as important as the product. Consumers get their kicks from the service and psychological aspects of what they consume as much as from the physical satisfaction they receive.
hits