Technological Determinism in Eighth Grade Movie

 In the film we watched in class, Eighth Grade, we were spectators in the life of eighth grader Kayla, who is struggling with her confidence level. She uses social media platforms such as Instagram and her YouTube channel to show a side to her that she is unable to convey in real life. She has become very reliant on social media as a way for her to become more bold and confident and in many cases technology has become a determining factor in her life. At times, it seems like she has become so reliant on using technology and her social media pages on Instagram and YouTube to portray herself, that she has lost the ability to converse and make relationships with people IRL. By watching her videos, you would assume she is a talkative, outgoing person while in reality she is very quiet. This is similar to the way things are for us as social media allows for people to create an identity and personality online that is quite different from how they really are. It is much easier to be bold and confident from behind your phone screen than in real life which is why people love social media so much.

- Justin Couto

Comments

  1. Olivia’s Blog PostOctober 13, 2021 at 7:58 AM

    Hello Justin!

    This example of Kayla from the film exemplifies a negative effect that technologically determinist rhetorics focus on. Which is the authenticity of identity and the welfare of face-to-face relationships resulting from technology usage (Baym, 2015, p. 43). Technological determinism suggests a loss of identity and diminishing face-to-face contact, leaving individuals disconnected from others and left with feelings of social isolation and anxiety (p. 43). As you mentioned in your post, this is the case for Kayla in the film. She appears to be very confident online, while in “real life" she struggles with social anxiety that causes her to be quiet and have difficulty communicating with her peers.

    Take care,
    Olivia

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