Convergence, Postmodernity, Globalization, Simulation

 We are currently living in a new historic period which began in the 1960's, described as Postmodernity. The moment western societies started shifting their focus from old world orders established by Industrialization, such as mechanization, imperialist capitalism, standardization of goods, in favor of providing more flexible, customizable products, we entered a new age. An age of computerization, where the main source of profit is the production of soft goods and information-based services. Thanks to new technological advances, the old imperial capitalist approach gave way to a new, multinational type of capitalism. Of course, this is made possible through the exchange happening between cultures, and different, once separated local markets. This notion is more commonly known as Globalization, where boundaries that once ensured a certain level of autonomy between markets and even different cultures, now seem completely obsolete. With the establishment of multinational corporations, different cultures come into contact, influencing each other, mixing, and, as a result, creating a new hybridized culture. This is enforced through mass media, owned mostly by multinational corporations. Since cultures influence each other, a new problem arises, known as Simulation. This happens when an image of a certain notion exists outside of our reality, and, in fact, has no basis in it. It begins as an idealized projection of a notion in our society, but eventually loses any touch with the actual reality of things. Mass media encourages these images cross-culturally, through globalization. And with the Convergence of media, where different meda share a common platform, such as online newspapers, the threat of simulation and the impact it has is ever growing.