Media in the Professional World

The Postmortal, a story that depicts a pre-apocalyptic world in which people can choose to remain young forever, is also a story that evokes debates over social constructs such as marriage and religion. There is much to discuss with this novel. In keeping with our theme of media, though, we will be writing our third essay with a specific focus. We will be looking at the use of media in the story and its role in the lives of the characters. For instance, the author's choice of using blog posts rather than chapters in the book is indicative of the importance of technology and media in the lives of this society. But, is the society portrayed in the book much different than our own?

Choosing one of the topics below, write a 4-6 page, thesis-driven, argumentative essay.

Topics:

It would be difficult to write about all of the topics below, so do not attempt to do it. Focus on a single argument and incorporate, if you can and you'd like other elements into your own argument.

1. Let's think about rhetoric: how is the story being presented to us, the audience?

o What does this tell us about the people in the story and people in the real world?

o Can blog posts act as personal narratives, historical records, or educational mediums?

2. Much of the news that we learn in The Postmortal comes to us in the form of links to sites like the Associated Press. Let's think about how our world receives its news.

o Has the development of news media changed the way people feel about news?

o What are some of the consequences of news apps on smartphones?

o What are some of the consequences of "soft" or "fake" news programs like The Daily Show, The Onion, or The Colbert Report?

3. What is the role of advertising and branding in the The Postmortal? What is the role of Branding in our world?

o How does branding and advertising affect consumerism?

o Are they only selling products, or does it influence ideology as well?