Definitions and Understanding

Today I will be explaining:

·         Visual Culture and life style in the digital age

·         Global village

·         Postmodernism

·         Culture industry

·         Virtual reality-Interactive media

Visual Culture

“Visual culture does not depend on pictures but on the modern tendency to picture or visualize existence” Nicholas Mirzoeoff

Visual culture is often seen as confusing because not many people really understand what it actually is and I am here to explain that.

Visual culture has got to do with visual effects where we can find information by using visual technology, this is anything that can be seen and viewed that improves our vision. The internet, oil paintings and television is considered as visual culture.

Nicholas Mirzoeff statement best describes visual culture as he means that visual culture does not depend on pictures that you can physically see but to actually reach into your mind and visualize, being creative in your own mind.

Global Village

Global village is also considered as globalization. Where some say that it is seen through pop culture, it is showing a cultural genocide on the world. The largest most dominant cultures are becoming more dominant and larger at the expense of others which in fact some could say that it is another word for Americanization.

While others argue that globalization can enrich the world culturally and gives the notion that there will be more opportunities for cultural exchange which can help promote tolerance and diversity. They want to create a global village where ideas and attributes can be exchanged and appreciated.

Postmodernism

Firstly, postmodernism was a movement in architecture that rejected the modernist, avant garde, passion for the new.

This has to do more with art, architecture and literature where by people react against earlier modernist principles by reintroducing traditional or classical elements.

Culture Industry

Culture Industry focuses on the media and marketing but due to a lot of publicity and advertising all cultural products including people have become things that share little or no meaning. A problem comes about in a sense of speech is lost. This industry gives a reason to believe that the individual is not there but an illusion that is manipulated by authority by those who are from the dominant side.

Virtual reality

Multimedia is emerging as a very important tool in the 21^st century. The world-wide web, CD-ROMs, Virtual reality games ect.

But to explain in better words it is not just multimedia it is a state of mind where you can escape and become something you are not in your life. Playing video games is a form of escaping and going into a virtual reality state.