Post-modern word of the day: Semiurgy

‘Postmodern culture is often broadly defined and debated as a triumph of image over reality, surface over depth, style over content and signifier over signified (or referent). In this paradigm, the primacy of a text’s meaning and possible interpretation is construed as an effect of constant semiurgy: the mobilisation and reconfiguration of signs in endless combination with multiple effects.’

- Christopher Horrocks, Marshal McLuhan and Virtuality

Here’s a recent example of the term in action: Guerilla News Network September 11 redux. Here, rather than actually put together a reasonable argument, they associate symbols to manipulate our reference points. GEORGE BUSH then THAT KID WITH THE BANJO FROM THAT MOVIE WITH SQUEAL LIKE A PIG then GEORGE BUSH then MICKEY MOUSE NEWS NETWORK then CRUSADES then THE BEARDED ONES.

Entertainment though not news, I’d class it along the lines of hyakugojuichi. Which is just the point of semiurgy.

But frankly, this whole Post-Modern analysis of the internet seems to go no deeper than the fact that it is so easy to reconfigure signs and meanings here. Orginally it had the whole chose-virtuelle going for it, but we’ve all come pretty quickly to the realization that this isn’t a symbol for something, it is something. RED PIXELS ARE REAL!

Speaking of which, this frightens me. I thought it was some whole underground web-cult realization that I’d only just discovered. I guess it is more underground than I had realised. It is too good not to be established.

In my search for real pixels, I found this. Search for ‘pixels’. And here I am talking about semiurgy. Silly me.

^{where was I?} Oh yes. Still, for some reason I feel that understanding the Post-Modernists and Situationists will help me explore this medium.

With some Post-Modern Knowledge Management (via aaronland), we can exploit the assets of knowledge for the good of the people.

Of course, the problem before was that it was the big bad GOVERNMENT-MEDIA-CORPRAT COMPLEX responsible for all this manipulative symbol melding. (catch the -urgy reference – I am cute). And now that web lets a twelve-year old with a pirated copy of flash become a semiurologist, we're all chipping in to the great debasement of reality. And then it all comes back to love: Information wants to be free but only because stories want to be told. Anyway, my point is that our government is stupid.

To avoid overcrowding please check back periodically. I think that needs to be my new 404.

Clearly my search for real, red pixels has unearthed something much better, knowledge-managers who can see the blithe, philosophical irony of their existence. I was much chagrined to discover that the author is a marketer, who of course belong with sycophants and lawyers in Dante's 7^th inferno.

All together now: RED PIXELS ARE REAL! MARKETING IS EVIL! THINGS THAT ARE LESS ‘REAL’ THAN PIXELS ARE DESTROYING OUR COLLECTIVE MINDS. And with flash and post-modernism you can become a half-penis doctor! The last sentence, at least, was not nonsense.