Late Modernity: Social Context, Resonance, and Alienation
Tema 4: Social Context in Late Modernity
The time we are living in is called Late Modernity, characterized by constant innovation in technology, globalization, and socialization. As individuals, there is much more competition and an acceleration process where everything goes faster, is more dynamic, and is constantly changing, leading to more challenges and expectations.
Escalatory acceleration is the concept of always getting better and growing, which leads to a logic of competition where you always must be the best, resulting in an endless accumulation of different sorts of capital and constant competition.
People aim for a good life, something beyond this escalatory acceleration and competition, where we can enjoy things and have real relations (an enchanted world). But now we are living in a Disenchanted World (Max Weber). In the past, we didn’t have the answers to many questions, but modern times mean that we are capable of living our own lives; we have become the agents of our own lives. We explain things we didn’t understand before, we explain the world, and therefore, we can also predict it. The world becomes disenchanted; we have an explanation for everything, but humans seem to have the desire to experience other things, things we cannot explain, things that touch us. When we can explain everything, we seek transcendence.
Resonance: Connection to the World
Resonance is the relationship between us and other individuals or the world in general. It is a connection, a dual process. First, the world affects us; it seems to speak to us, and we get an emotion (affectional and emotional parts). It must be different from us; the world that is like us will not be able to affect us; it must be something new, not our echo. We can’t be exposed to a world that only reflects what we know. Resonance must be between consonance and irrevocable dissonance.
Alienation: Disconnection from the World
Alienation is disconnection from the world, a world where we do not matter as who we are. This is a process that has happened through the capitalist process, where it doesn’t matter if workers are happy with what they do; what matters is that what they do can be sold. Through resonance, we do not have alienation; we feel a deep connection.
Resonance has a sense of being connected to others or to nature by doing things we love, like religion. We can be open to resonance, but we cannot instrumentally make it happen. The more we try, the less it works.
F2F vs CMC Communication
- F2F (Face-to-Face) interactions: Social rules dictate where and when F2F interactions should take place. CMC (Computer-Mediated Communication), instead, can take place independently from the place and situation.
- Immediate response: F2F is better because we get immediate feedback.
- Emotions: F2F has more emotions; your partner is devoted to you.
- Editability: In F2F, the message is out when it is spoken; CMC can be edited.
Resonance should be more easily possible in F2F situations.
Experiencing Media Narratives
How do people experience media narratives? We do not select media content because it can manage our mood, but because we can try out different relations with the world, situations, and experiences.
Aesthetic Resonance: Experiencing Beauty
What happens when we experience beauty? We feel connected. Whatever we feel, we are also aware that it is very specific; this relates to nature, to a person, to a character which happens now, and is a very tiny little part, which is surrounded by the alienated world. And because I know pretty much about the world, I can appreciate this moment differently. I am aware of the alienation of the rest. We most of the time enjoy because we are also at the same time aware of the context.
We are happy and sad at the same time. There is a world of happiness in a world of sadness.
We enjoy it because it also makes them sad. Entertainment movies work with this very well.