Assess the view that the Postmodernists present the strongest argument when analysing the influence of mass culture on society

Dickens are just as valid as Dickens’ views himself?” The answer is yes. How about Hyper reality, that picture of my dog on the wall is actually the reality of my dog and what he is doing in the next room is unimportant. The idea that an image is a reality, sounds strange doesn’t it.  In fact they think that due to the constant exposure to media, image has become a reality. Post modernists believe that science and religion (metanarratives) are past their sell by date and no longer valid. They believe that terms such as gender can be ignored. They believe that science does not lead to progress. I find it hard to believe this claim with advances in medical technology that save lives each day, can this not be called progress. This all depends what you define progress as, if it is defined as extending the life expectancy of humans or improving efficiency of production, then of course it does, but however you define progress as world harmony or a greater freedom of self awareness then progress is not being made with science. But if we reject truth and the idea that science can lead to progress, then we could be said to be entering a new dark age. Another criticism, if postmodernism believes that metanarratives are no longer valid, how do we know that postmodernism is not another metanarrative to be dismissed? We cannot ignore factors such as class and poverty when there are huge divides between the upper classes and lower classes, there are certainly barriers that have been broken but most of them remain as strong as ever.  Another question to ask ones self is have we reached a postmodern age yet, are we merely in a period of high modernity? Postmodernists believe that  Mass Media has created a confusion over time and space. They believe due to advanced technology such as satellites and mobile communications technology, history is not a continuous timeline. The mass media sways our perception of history. A good example is the theory that the gulf war may not have happened.  Of course it did happen but it was not a local narrative, ie not in our physical and direct view.   In conclusion,  I think that the postmodernists do not present the strongest argument because of the many gaps and contradictions in the theory such as the question of whether postmodernism is in fact a metanarrative. How also can we ignore factors like gender when women do more domestic work than men. I find it also very hard to ignore issues of class and poverty when there are millionaires working within 20 feet of a homeless man. This is why I think that postmodernism is not the strongest argument.