Postmodernism is a wild, confusing, self-reflexive world that makes me feel stuck with no hope. I think what contributes to that feeling is the paradoxes (not to mention ironies) that have developed in this era, which were largely brought on by technology and mass culture.

• Originality is supposedly dead because everything has been done but postmodern artists recycle pieces of past literature and art to make something “original.” Is it original after all? Or is it lazy? Will we ever think of a way to continue storytelling without plot and theme?
• Through documentation of every single detail of our lives that surpasses our mother’s baby book for us or our teen diaries, which is encouraged by Twitter and blogging (I’m doing it now - that’s the second reference I’ve made to my own blog in its lifetime), we have become narcissistic champions of individuality. This makes us appreciate diversity (which can get crazy) but the contradiction lies in mass culture’s propagation of a conformist, imitative desire that tries to blend us all into one. Ex. We’re all going to see the same movies, listening to the same overplayed pop songs on the radio, etc.
• One of the scariest paradoxes is that as technology makes businesses and general communication of the world more efficient, humans become less crucial and are replaced by computers, lessening jobs. We’re outdoing ourselves. You’ve seen it in science fiction dystopias about robots taking over. Read “You are Not a Gadget” for more info about worshipping technology and the dangers of doing so. Let’s not become tools of our tools, as Thoreau would say. 
• You’ve heard this one but technology, which functions like a miracle that connects people globally for little cost, is actually decreasing face to face social interaction, inspiring new trends like online dating to find a mate…We blindly accept the internet’s categorization of people through databases like Facebook. It’s convenient and everyone’s doing it but it’s important to be aware of its power.
• Hyperawareness has fostered our desire to see the “real” world and we are thus rethinking history and deconstructing binaries. Once again, however, mass culture has covered authenticity with a thick layer of falseness and we can’t see through the sleaze. Also, I think our cynicism (due to the fact that we know everything is a construction), makes it difficult for us to buy/believe anything anymore. Romance is cliche, success is cliche, religion is cliche, we’ve been there done that already and we’ll only accept ironic, critical statements of everything that came before us (Obviously not everyone…Some will gladly take Twilight). The past may have been screwed up (racism, sexism, patriarchy, dictators, genocide, etc. etc.) but I’m afraid that all our criticism of it isn’t getting us anywhere either.
• And that is the greatest paradox really. Because although we are SO aware of all the terrible things humanity has done before our generation, they’re still happening today and we don’t know how to change it. We haven’t found a replacement for plot and theme in literature. I hate being so general because I know environmentalists for one are working so hard to reduce our waste and consumption and there are tons of people out there doing good but you know, war, poverty, inequality and now this nasty lack of morality continues and perpetuates itself. I like that postmodernism challenges its mighty heart out but I hope it can move to thinking of solutions.