globalisation and postmodernity

risk society (late modernity)

individuality is becoming more prevalent in society

E: Beck- today's society is a risk society where threats are man made instead of natural as tradition no longer governs people's actions → growing trend of individualisation causes people to reflect further on their actions and their consequences = reflexive modernisation → in families stereotypical gender roles have become undermined by equality and individualism

R: Beck- negotiated family, which functions specifically to meet the needs of its members = rise of individualisation as people no longer feel the need to conform to social convention and focus on their personal needs and happiness as they are more aware of the long term effects of their actions

C: Baudrillard- risks to society are no longer man made but manufactured by the media as a simulation

surveillance

in a postmodern society, power operates through surveillance rather than physical force

E: Foucalt- power in society operates through knowledge → Powerful groups control what is perceived as truth through institutions such as education which allow them to legitimize their ideas and prevent them being questioned → panopticon, originally a prison system = society as a system of total surveillance means individuals regulate their own behaviour and maintain the ruling class’s system for them

R: Bowles and Gintis- link this theory of panopticon to the education system, specifically the hidden curriculum, where pupils are prepared for workplace surveillance → schools operate like panoptic institutions, using timetables, registers, uniforms, CCTV and exams, which mirror the surveillance system = Students internalise discipline from their teachers and self-regulate their behaviour to avoid punishment, preparing them for wider society

C: Giddens- individuals are not passive victims of surveillance and can challenge it rather than internalising control

media

development of media has led to a manipulation of reality.

E: Baudrillard- knowledge is central in a postmodern society and that society is no longer based on the exchange of material goods but on knowledge in the form of images → society is now in a state of hyperreality where we can't tell the difference between media images and what's real, through the development of tech → reality TV or AI images = perception of reality and truth are manipulated. This is highlighted by

R: Cohen- media creates moral panic around crime by exaggerating threats and turning groups into folk devils → scapegoating black boys for the rise in knife crime and creating a social perception of them as a threat = hyperreality as it demonstrates how the media can distort people's perception of the truth

C: Giddens- we live in a late modern society where institutions remain real and powerful

social change (late modernity)

postmodern society is one of instability

E: Giddens- stage of late modernity where a defining feature is more rapid social change = decline of tradition and social instability = disembedding of social relations from local contexts of interaction as societal norms lose their influence and interpersonal connections become less necessary

R: Bruce argues religion has lost influence as people become more individualistic and make their own choices, continually monitoring their actions through reflexivity = impact of modern social change as organised religion, which used to be a key unifying force in society, is moving into the private sphere

C: Archer- who argues underestimates the ability of social structures to resist change

marxist

postmodernity is product of most recent stage of capitalism

E: Jameson- financial crisis of 1970s led to new regime of flexible accumulation → rise in technology and flexible products for niche markets → all aspects of life became commodity e.g. leisure, culture, fashion

R: Lea and Young- media emphasises relative deprivation which encourages crime as legitimate means of conformity are blocked

C: Beck- postmodernity is period of individualisation