THE POSTMODERN TURN IN PROSUMING IMAGES: JUXTAPOSITION, DIALOGISM, AND THE SUPPLEMENT IN CONTEMPORARY VISUAL CULTURE

Abstract

This paper aims to problematize the very place of prosuming images (TAPSCOTT; WILLIAMS, 2007), that is, images simultaneously produced and consumed, within the perspectives of the postmodern and the visual turns in contemporary society. Of qualitative/interpretative nature, it discusses and connects such turns to the philosophical concepts of dialogism (BAKHTIN, 1981), cultural translation (MIGNOLO; SCHIWY, 2002; MENEZES DE SOUZA, 2004; HALL, 1997), supplements (DERRIDA, 1978), and visual culture (ROGOFF, 2002; HALL, 1997) by means of interpretations of photographic images from social media (Instagram, Facebook) and free images from websites. The article is divided into 5 sections: after the introduction in which questions of language, representation and visual meaning making are briefly discussed, the second part explores the dialogic nature of language that seeks to juxtapose visual narratives. The third part focuses on the Postmodern and the Visual turns, and suggests that concepts of cultural translation and supplementation are paramount in visual studies. In the fourth section, visual culture – intertwined with cultural translation - is analyzed through the concepts of supplements and ruptures. To conclude, this paper advocates for more critical ways of understanding the so-called crisis of representation in (post) modern society.

Keywords

• postmodern turn
• visual turn
• images
• visual culture
• language education