Giddens and Modernity (SumBlog 12)

During class we talked about modernity and Giddens view on it. I have found that what Anthony Giddens refers to as "radicalized modernity" in his work is often referred to as "postmodernity" by other theorists.

To me radicalized modernity is what is used to describe the current era of modernity which grew out of  economic, political, and social conditions of industrial modernity. Industrial modernity focused on order,  science, social control by institutions such as the state and family, and much more.
Radicalized modernity is  where we see the after-effects of industrial modernity. This increases consumption, the breakdown of the family and other socializing institutions, impersonal social contact, and issues of trust and risk. These all are issues that are relevant to Giddens' work.
So Giddens doesn't believe that we've necessarily gone beyond the era of modernity, which is what the prefix "post-" indicates in "postmodernity." Instead, he says that we are facing is a radicalized form of modernity. theorists that state we are living in postmodern times have failed to point out the precise content of what postmodernity entails. 

As we discussed in class, Giddens' idea of modernity leads to almost a snowball effect. No matter what we do, society will keep changing and we have to change with it.