Technological Determinism in Eighth Grade
As Dr. Herman mentioned in lecture, technological determinism is the idea that technology is "an external agent that acts upon and changes society" (Thursday October 7th, 2021). With this definition in mind, we can look at the ways in which technology determines our cultural values and social structures that we find ourselves in. The film Eighth Grade articulates a young girl named Kayla who struggles daily to fit in and find her sense of belonging. We can see two sides of Kayla throughout the film- her introverted and shy self while at school and her more lively and outgoing personality on her YouTube channel. For Kayla, social media apps likes Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat are tools that function as part of her escape and performance, as well as a way to connect with the bigger world. Her relationship with social media is both a coping mechanism for anxiety (figuring herself and others out by performing on social media) as well as an anxious medium in which Kayla feels a sense of urgency to post online (even though she does not like to be judged). We can see Kayla's anxieties both online and in person (awkward conversations/parties and mean girls). the technology of social media in Eighth Grade is not necessarily presented in a good or bad way, rather the film highlights the ways in which Kayla interacts with it and the unspoken rules of social media apps.
Keeping in mind the film of Eighth Grade and our understanding of technological determinism, do you think social media changes our behaviour? Do you find you are more interactive with others online rather than in person? And do you think the value of physical social interactions has declined because of social media?
-Amelia Loader
Hello Amelia,
ReplyDeleteI do think that social media changes our behaviour. Baym’s perspective of technological determinism on the relationship between technology and society gives evidence to this. Technologies, including social media, are external agents that act upon individuals and changes society by shifting the way people communicate with one another. Thus the use of social media to interact with others influences the well-being of face-to-face relationships and affects the authenticity of one’s identity (Baym, 2015, p. 43).
Personally, I do not think I am more interactive with people online than in person in terms of my close relationships. However, I am more willing to interact with individuals I do not know online than I am in “real life”.
I believe the value of physical social interactions has declined because of social media to an extent but not entirely. I think it has for individuals like Kayla who have social anxiety because social media provides her with a sense of anonymity which allows her to communicate more comfortably. Therefore she is able to supplement her online interactions for face-to-face interactions. Although at the same time, it is apparent that Kayla is still lacking genuine face-to-face relationships (seen through her YouTube videos “putting yourself out there” and “how to be more confident”), and she is working towards fulfilling the void of physical social interactions with her peers.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI do think that social media does have a large impact on our behaviour. The more we use social media, and it becomes an active aspect of our life, I think it does have the ability to impact our behaviour. Especially in Kayla's case, she is so young and impressionable and she heavily relies on social media that it has almost become part of her identity.
Personally, I do not think I am more interactive online, rather than in person. I do use social media often, however, I value my real, physical interactions with people. It is definitely easier to communicate with people online as it is more efficient and you are able to communicate with more people online. However, I still think that I interact with more people in person.
Hey Amelia, great post!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that the movie Eighth Grade does a great job of showing how Kayla uses social media as an escape from reality. I think this concept is really relatable for many kids and teenagers as it’s something almost everyone can admit to doing. This is particularly true during the pandemic, where social media provided an escape to the very boring world of quarantining.
With regards to your question, I feel that social media has made a significant impact on our lives, however, it does not change our behaviour. Believing that technology changes or controls our lives is assuming this technological determinist ideology. We should not think of technology as something that controls us or operates and acts outside our culture.
I feel that I often am more interactive with people online than in person. This is particularly true for my friends and family who live far away and who I could not communicate with otherwise. I don't think the value of social interaction has declined, however the overuse of social media has resulted in many people developing some types of social anxiety, which often leads to individuals who would rather connect through their phones than in person.
Overall great post and questions!
-Sophie
Hey Amelia!
ReplyDeleteInteresting points you brought up in regards to the movie and the experiences of Kayla and how they relate to that of technological determinism. To answer your first question I think that social media does change the way that people behave because it may make us think and do things differently, since on social media we are being almost open about our lives to an audience. We might behave differently in terms of when we speak to others online or what we post since so many people can see your content. It can for sure change how we behave drastically because we might think that we require ourselves to act differently online as opposed to in person. Actions and cultures can be greatly impacted from what we post and see on our social media feeds.
For me personally I think that I am more interactive in person because I enjoy talking to people and having a conversation in person where you can see social cues and other things. I think being able to see social cues and how people are responding to your conversation makes it much more engaging and interactive as opposed to talking to someone over text. Real physical communication is much more important and is beneficial to your social life in my opinion.
I don't think that our physical social interactions have declined in any way with the inclusion of social media because I think social media interactions are like a prep or prelude to actual physical interaction. Sometimes you might have a interaction over social media and then move to in person with someone where since you follow them on social media you already know a bit about them. I think that this strengthens the value of physical interaction because not only do you know them in some way, you might now want to even make a better impression in person because you already know them through digital means.