The meanings and messages of Las Vegas: The present of our future

Abstract

Las Vegas is studied as an arguably prototype postmodern space to develop some understanding of (post)modern consumption. Analyses indicate that while Las Vegas has several characteristics that may help a deeper understanding of the modern and of conditions that signal transformations toward the postmodern, it is far from being a postmodern space. The hegemony of the market and the insistence of the commercial hinder the development of the postmodern. However, insights into the nature of Las Vegas as excess, the change in the status of motion and speed (which are now ends in themselves rather than means to arrive at a destination), and the consumer inclinations for immersion into themes observed in Las Vegas provide explanations that will help a better understanding of contemporary cultural trends.