Post modernism - What does it all mean?

I believe that there has always been a correlation between knowledge and power, but recently times have indeed changed. Regardless of how smart you are, power is instituted by popularity and media now, not the ability to build mass contraptions for the good of humanity. Power is based on numbers. The more votes that can be pulled in, the more CD's sold, the more viewers for a TV station. I think that's what we're heading toward to be honest. It isn't necessarily the quality of the person, the work, the machine; I believe its the efficiency and what can be brought forth in the shortest amount of time possible. Yes, bigger is always better in most cases, and this theory was definitely kept in mind when new computers, iPods, and other technologically savvy devices were developed. Yet, they keep improving, why? When will we be satisfied? When, if ever, will humans seize the need for the split second gratification that has enveloped our society and morphed it into a postmodern idealistic world? The numbers keep growing, but what does this say? Is this good, bad, a sign of turmoil? Must we stop or continue on with this need for statistical comparisons that are used to constantly "improve" our way of living? We recently talked about deconstruction in class, and in a way this is what we are leading up to here. Numbers are being tossed and replaced so quickly, there is no foundation or basis to be politically criticized or argued upon, if I may paraphrase from Postmoderism. The world seems to turn a little more quickly on its axis these days, and we're all going to have serious migraines if all this improvement gets out of hand, if it hasn't done so already.