Blog Post # 2 - Social Shaping of Technology and Anxiety


I’ve chosen to argue that the social shaping of technology, in turn with the interactivity of new media come together to produce anxiety. More specifically Baym suggests that these anxieties are largely based in authenticity of interaction, personal well being and the cultivation and maintenance of relationships (Baym 24).  I think this argument can be illustrated using the case of Katherine Pommerening and her relationship with her phone. At its core, the social shaping of technology is not just about the technological devices themselves and the way they impact us, but it looks at how we as people in a society, and our culture, choose to use these devices and the roles we give them in our world. The passage in the article about Katherine that I think speaks the strongest to this theoretical notion is the following, “Katherine Pommerening’s iPhone is the place where all of her friends are always hanging out. So it’s the place where she is, too. She’s on it after it rings to wake her up in the mornings...at school… when she picks it back up, she might have 64 unread messages.” It is clear that as much as Katherine is enthralled by the technological novelty of the device itself, we see this through her use of step counting, Spotify and Buzzfeed. It is more than just a device, it is her way into a social world that her friends, and we as a general society choose to create through these devices. The anxiety comes in because of the way these representations of ourselves can be carefully curated to represent exactly the people we want ourselves to be, rather than what we are.
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Comments

  1. CS 371 Group 9October 3, 2018 at 1:16 PM

    You had some great points in here! I especially liked how you said her mobile phone is 'more than a device itself'. I agree with this statement as these 'smart' phones no longer function just as phones - they are also a way to communicate with others in real time or not, photo albums, camera, gaming system, note taker, and much more!

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  2. Mikayla WernerOctober 5, 2018 at 4:14 PM

    You made a really great connection through the social shaping of technology perspective and Katherine's relationship with her phone. When looking at this relationship, it is evident that technology is taking away from the authenticity and quality of face to face communication, as well as creating a negative environment for teens to be placing their self worth. Your point of how it is more than just a device, but is nearly her entire social world is really eye opening. These devices hold such power and anxiety over society.

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  3. Liv KellyOctober 6, 2018 at 7:06 PM

    I really enjoyed reading your response! I thought at the end where you went into detail on how anxiety is caused by how social media creates such an image for us and how it is difficult to determine how to accurately represent ourselves on whom we want to be, rather then who we are. I as well agree that you can argue that "the social shaping of technology, in turn with the interactivity of new media come together to produce anxiety". The social shaping of technology really has taken off since social media has become so popular, and I am curious to see where social media brings us in the next decade to come!

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