Technological Determinism in Eighth Grade
After watching the film Eighth Grade in this week’s lecture, it became apparent that the film is promoting the concept of technological determinism. Technological determinism is an ideology that believes that society is altered by the technology that society utilizes. In Eighth Grade, the main character Kayla is an eighth-grader that is fully dependent on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Rather than socializing with her classmates at school, she instead posts content on social media that makes her appear as if she is a super outgoing and social person. The technology that Kayla uses has severely affected her social life because it became easy for Kayla to use social media instead of interacting with people in real life. The eighth grade was a very awkward time for many people including myself. Developing good social habits at that age is very important as those habits can help you throughout high school and adolescence. Kayla is allowing the social media apps on her phone to determine how she lives her social life. Even as she makes developments in her social skills by talking to her crush, she still turns to the internet for romantic advice. Kids currently growing up in the digital age have an endless amount of content that can help them develop social skills. However, these videos promote technological determinism in that they force young people to rely on technology for their social life. On YouTube, there are plenty of men’s help videos that are targeted towards insecure young people. These videos may seem helpful however, they can sometimes be so out of touch that people end up developing poor social skills.
You make a great point about Kayla leaning more towards social media as opposed to her classmates and peers. Yes, 8th grade is awkward and yes Kayla wasn't liked by most of her peers, but what was most notable about Kayla throughout the film with the difference in her demeanour and confidence online as opposed to with her peers in person, which I think is a big problem with kids growing up today. They feel more in their element in front of a screen or camera as opposed to another person. Had Kayla interacted with her peers the same way she interacts with the camera, perhaps she would have been accepted more.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post! You bring up some excellent points as well. I too can agree that grade 8 was a weird time, I think for everyone. You are starting to learn lots about yourself and the people around you. It's the age where you think you know everything but you really don't. I was so glued to my phone in grade 8 that I became distant from a lot of people in my family for a few years. I was immature and chose social media over loving relationships that I had. Thankfully I was able to rebuild those relationships, but it just shows you how technology and the new norms I created for myself, made me 'run away' from those who love my most. The communication skills I have learned over the years has helped me realize that technology is not the only thing I need in my life and I am very thankful for that. I hope that younger generations are able to learn that technology isn't everything and there is more to life than just social media. Thanks again for a great post!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I find it very true that certain videos online tend to reinforce technological determinism, and seem to portray the message that using technology (or watching certain videos) is the only way for one to learn and develop social skills. This is untrue, as many of us have picked up on social cues from our friends and family members growing up, and did not rely solely on online content. I agree with you that misinformation online could possibly negatively affect some, as they are young and impressionable, and are blindly following impractical advice.
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