Auto-Modernism after Postmodernism. What does “Social” Look Like in the Digital Age?
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Keywords

Social theory, postmodern, postpostmodernism, social, society, modernity, automodernity, subject, technologies, internet

How to Cite

Mazorenko, D. (2019). Auto-Modernism after Postmodernism. What does “Social” Look Like in the Digital Age?. Galactica Media: Journal of Media Studies, 1(2), 202-224. https://doi.org/10.24411/2658-7734-2019-10019

Abstract

At the end of the 20th century the concept of postmodernity was one of the dominant theoretical paradigms that described the social world. But in the early 2000s a group of leading researchers announced an exhaustion of its explanatory capacities. After that some theoreticians have suggested plenty of new approaches through which we can reflect elusive nowness. The idea of automodernism, formulated by Robert Samuels in his book ‘New Media, Cultural Studies and Critical Theory after Postmodernism’, was a part of that conceptual line. His descriptive model is based on dichotomy of individual autonomy and technological automation which is the result of interaction of different social structures. According to Samuels, the reason why people normally use wide range of technologies is hidden in their pursuit of independence from public realm. The most paradoxical thing is that their alienation is only possible in the highly social environment. Nonetheless, atomization becomes one of the main problems of modernity which whips up backlashes against the postmodern welfare state. It seems like Samuels has created adequate way of thinking about today’s social problems, but it is necessary to add some actual observations on how social networks transform the notions of ‘social’ and ‘subject’. This article offers pack of theses, made by Dutch media theorist Geert Lovink, that not only helps us to modify these terms, but also embeds economical component, dropped out from Samuels’ analysis.

https://doi.org/10.24411/2658-7734-2019-10019
pdf (Русский)

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