Technological determinism- 8th Grade Madelaine Violi
In the film 8th grade, we can see aspects of technological determinism within the film. Kayla is an active user of different social media platforms, including YouTube, and Instagram. The way Kayla perceives herself on social media is very different than how her peers see her at school. At school, Kayla is regarded as being very shy and not very talkative. However, on her Youtube channel, she portrays a different side of herself and is more outgoing.
We can see in the film that Kayla’s other classmates are also heavy social media users, and are constantly seen on their phones. People are starting to use social media at younger and younger ages and it is affecting their social skills in real life. Having lots of followers, or a strong social media presence seems like an important factor for Kayla and her classmates on what is considered ‘cool’.
Kayla pretends to be someone she is not, because she believes that it will impress the boy she is interested in. However, because of societal norms, she believes that is the only way to get him to notice her. Through this film, we can see how important technology is to construct the social and cultural norms that are present within the lives of Kayla and the other students.
Do you think that social media plays a factor in the behavioural development of young kids? Do you think grade 8 is too young to be using social media?
-Madelaine Violi
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Hello there,
ReplyDeleteI certainly think that social media plays a factor in the behavioural development of young kids. It forces kids to constantly compare themselves to others online and therefore alter they way they percieve themselves and act towards others. The younger a child is, the more impressionable they are and therefore they may feel as if they need to be a certain way (similar to what they see from their peers online) in order to be accepted by others. This is incredibly damaging to youth as it stops them from being happy with themselves and who they are and makes them feel as if they are not good enough / that they need to be more like the people who they are constantly comparing themselves to.
Realistically, I do believe that grade 8 is too young to be using social media. The only problem is that our world has been taken by storm by technology and social media that it is almost unavoidable. I think that if you are going to be using social media you need to be aware of the potential negative impacts it may have on you, (something that today's youth might not be able to understand yet) and enough maturity to be able to not allow for it to dictate how you live your life. Social media is a tool that when used correctly, can be used to bring you an plethora of oppourtunities online, but when used incorectly, it can cause much harm to yourself and others mentally and physically.
Hey!,
ReplyDeleteAfter watching Eighth Grade, I also believe that Kayla lived her young life almost completely dependent on technology. Being born in 2000, there was lots of innovative technology that impacted my childhood. However, social media was something that was not naturalized until I was a teenager. Since the conception of social media, parents have heavily debated whether children should be using social media daily or not. I believe that young children that frequently use social media could have their behaviour severely impacted by this technology. Social media has very few boundaries and limits that could leave young children with a false sense of reality. For example, a child who teases people that they don't know online may not fully understand the repercussions of bullying other children in real life.
Hey there Maddy!
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely some factors that you could attribute to social media having a affect on behavioral development in kids. Social media has a large impact, in my opinion, on how people especially kids that are still developing, view themselves physically and digitally since they might think that their online presence pretty much defines who they are. Social media can change how kids behave through simple things like media posts, articles and even celebrity endorsements that may make a child see themselves differently and change how they behave because they don't feel like they fit their digital image. With this in mind I do think that grade 8 is a very early time to get into social media because of how young and impressionable you are in the eighth grade. I feel the way that Kayla and her classmates acted in the movie in regards to social media is how many kids act now when they are introduced to social media at a very young age. I think social media is appropriate around the later high school mark because then you have matured way more then how you were in grade school. In your older years you may also be able to understand the pros and cons as well as the consequences that social media can bring to their lives.