Blog Post #2 - The Domestication of Technology


The theoretical perspective I chose to discuss the anxieties of the interactivity of new digital media was domestication of technology. As mentioned in Personal Connections in the Digital Age, Baym suggests that “interactivity raises issues about the authenticity and well-being of people, interactions, and relationships that use new media” (Baym, 2015, p. 24). With this in mind, it is clear that these anxieties are evident in the article about Katherine Pommerening. For example, the author mentions a girl on Katherine’s Instagram who gets a lot of likes because she gives them a “tbh” comment. The anxieties of authenticity, well-being, and relationships are apparent because this girl doesn’t necessarily have to be honest in her comments especially when other people can see them. The reason I chose the domestication of technology was because this article provoked me to ask when this type of behaviour became so embedded into the practices of our everyday lives. Although the notion that there is an ideal time to post a picture, how to caption, when to like and what to comment makes sense to me, it seems ridiculous that masses of people are influenced by these formalities. In addition, I chose the domestication of technology because it “concurs with social shaping in seeing both technology and society as influences in the consequences of new media” (Baym, 2015, p. 52). In my opinion, it must be understood that mobile phones didn’t come out of thin air; there was a social need for them at the time of their creation. However, these devices also have affordances that can influence societies in ways they were not intended for as we can see in this article with Katherine’s behaviour and how much her mobile device impacts her everyday life. The article also mentions that a generation ago when Katherine’s father Dave was 13, he didn’t have a cellphone and rode his bike to his friends’ houses when he wanted to talk to them. Consequently, he likely didn't face a number of issues that Katherine faces on an everyday basis as a result of the constant interactivity she is exposed to via social media and her mobile phone. This relates to the domestication of technology because although these technologies offer both positive and negative implications, it is fascinating to see how quickly they can become normalized and immersed into a society’s culture.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 2, 2018 at 9:02 PM

    I really like the connection you made here between Katherine and her father because it is so valid! Even I can say for myself that growing up I never had a phone until I was in late high school- basically wasn't allowed to have a phone until I could pay for it myself. My childhood was definitely spent playing outside and doing adventurous things and I wasn't consumed by social media. It wasn't until high school when I was really overwhelmed with social media. It can be an extremely stressful thing to deal with. There are certain people who feel so much pressure to get a certain amount of likes and comments in order to feel cool and liked by people and even leads to anxiety. People definitely forget to stop and look at what is around them because they are so absorbed by their phones and social media that they miss out on valuable experiences. Great post!

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  2. WillOctober 3, 2018 at 9:17 AM

    Hey Kendall!

    Really enjoyed reading your post - thought your analysis was spot on!

    The domestication of technology reminds me of Gary Chapman's thesis in his article, "Making Sense out of Nonsense: Rescuing Reality from Virtual Reality". Essentially, Chapman (1994) argues that computers (or any technology), because of their instrumental and value-free characteristics deform the human character to such an extent that our very ability to recognize the artificial absurdity of these systems is diminished. As such, our contemporary technologies become naturalized, but also take on a higher sense of existence. For instance, we often think of computers/technologies as having greater knowledge and take its data at face value — "Oh, but the computer says so"— without exhibiting any sort of human cognition. Therefore, by recognizing this we can alter the way we view/study technology. Perhaps through Baym's social shaping framework we can examine how technology can better support us in all aspects of our lives, encourage creativity, strengthen democracy, etc.

    References:

    Chapman, G. (1994). Making sense out of nonsense: Rescuing reality from Virtual Reality. In G. Bender & T. Druckrey (Eds.), Culture on the brink: Ideologies and technologies (pp.149-155). Seattle, WA: Bay Press.

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  3. adam gallOctober 5, 2018 at 11:23 AM

    Kendall,

    Great points, all of them. You make a very strong case for the 'domestication of technology' perspective by highlighting how new media is criticized at first, then absorbed, and ultimately normalized in the end. However, is the integration of new communication technologies simply the natural progression of communication? Should we actually be worried or anxious about what we could be losing because of the new affordances that comm. technology grants us? Decades ago, people were worried about the way the telephone might influence our ability to communicate, but looking back now, we view those fears as somewhat ridiculous. Do you think there is more at stake now because of how advanced communication technology has become? Some people (myself included) would rather text someone than call them, even though it would take less time to get an answer via calling than it would texting. Is this something to be concerned about?

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  4. Tarik Lee-VaiyaOctober 7, 2018 at 11:23 AM

    Hi Kendall!

    Your post on domestication of technology has some really great connections. I agree that the device of a cell phone itself doesn't determine human interaction but the social need for its use has impacted our everyday life. I can see why Katherine's dad values technology differently because of the era he was born in and the resources that he raised with as well. If you were raised at a young age with all these technologies surrounded by you and you can see the importance of how everyone else uses them, then you may behave the same way with technology as well. It was not till after graduating high school is when I started to "domesticate" social media apps such as Instagram. This is because of my peers, who also rely on social media, and the need to feel noticed as social media apps is a way to keep your social connections with others.

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