Kayla is Social for the Modern Teenager
In the film Eighth Grade, main lead Kayla is seen interacting through screens and cameras more than with other human beings, even to the extent of ignoring her father. Scrolling and liking through posts gives validity of social interaction, at least through her own eyes. Without this technology, I believe Kayla would instead be more inclined to interact with people near her, or her shyness is not in fact determined by her technology and she would be reclusive in nature.
Circling back to the point made of social interactivity, this agrees with Baym's original statement of media holding interacting elements within itself, and how with enough time, can replace in-person interactivity and possibly stunt and produce social cues. Kayla is seen as a stammering, timid girl who feels more comfortable expressing herself through comments and photos, thing she can edit and delete at any time, as opposed to verbal exchange where one has to know exactly what to express in the moment. This new medium allows Kayla to change her message and her intended audience (whoever happens to see the post), harking back to McLuhan's "medium is the message" belief.
However, these are still interactions between one party and another, with their own social cues and norms. Knowing this, can Kayla accurately be described as anti-social and awkward, when it appears to only be in one certain medium?
Your closing remark about whether or not she can really be considered anti-social or awkward is an interesting one. However, I think in terms of Kayla's situation and what's best for her, I don't think it matters what we would consider her (or someone in a similar situation). What matters is how those who interact with her perceive her. She seems extremely inappreciative of her own father, and doesn't value their interactions at all. Considering how likely nobody cares about her more, it's definitely unhealthy that she is rejecting what could be such a strong and meaningful relationship that perhaps could help her with her social issues if she would be more open to it.
ReplyDeleteHi there! Excellent post! The question you posed at the end of your post is quite difficult to answer. As you said, while in her real life interactions Kayla is more quiet, shy, and socially awkward, she has curated a persona that is the complete opposite on her social media accounts. As was mentioned in Baym’s (2015) text, individuals believe that, with the lack of visual and auditory cues in mediated environments, such as social media platforms, will likely cause individuals to lie about who they actually are and create a perception for their peers that is completely different than who they actually are in in-person social interactions. It is for that reason that I believe that describing Kayla as anti-social and awkward would be accurate. Personally, I believe that even though it appears to only be in one certain medium your true self is what is projected in real life interactions. However, I can definitely see how it can be argued both ways!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Brinton! I think you bring up a thoughtful and challenging question. While watching Eighth Grade in class, it was evident for us to see the two opposite sides of Kayla’s communication style and her behaviour. On the one hand, we can argue that thirteen-year-old physical Kayla is an introvert- she is socially awkward, shy, and does not have any close friendships. While in stark contrast, social media Kayla posts videos on YouTube about self-confidence, some entitled “Being Yourself” and “Putting Yourself Out There”. To the best of her ability, she is trying to navigate the unspoken ‘rules’ of social media such as putting on goofy filters, taking selfies, and making advice videos on her channel “Kayla’s Korner”. With these two very different Kayla’s in mind, it appears that Kayla is trying to understand her feelings and what she is going through as a young adolescent. In Baym’s section on “Communication in Digital Spaces” she poses the question “what happens to communication itself when it’s digitally mediated?” (2015, pp. 39). When we look at social media, such as Instagram there seems to be social cues that are created from that specific medium- we can ask ourselves what we do with this kind of mediated communication and how it affects our communication overall (Baym, 2015, pp. 39). Kayla is an awkward adolescent that is trying to find her way through her world, with social media adding to her anxiety (I mean what young girl/guy isn’t). Sure, she may be anti-social in some ways but to label that as her entire character would be false, as we can see at the end of film how she starts to branch out. The popular schoolgirl Kennedy can also be labelled as anti-social and awkward in some ways- unable to communicate in full sentences and glued to her phone. Essentially, I would not fully label Kayla anti-social and awkward as her digital communication has elements of face to face and her anxiety and insecurity is valid and I think it relates to what a lot of young teenagers go through. Thank you for sharing.
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