Blog Post #2- Technological Determinism

CS371 Blog #2:

We must understand the interconnectivity that technology has brought to us in the perspective of today’s context. The social construction of our relationships has drastically transformed as this is evidentially clear in the dynamics of Katherine and her father. When we think of our parents and their childhood it is much different than ours; we often hear acknowledge that their childhoods were about biking to a convenient store close by with the friends, playing outside until the street lights go on. And for many of us this was still the case not too long ago! But as technology progresses as too does the relationships that form around them. We are in a technological advanced society where the influences of these technologies heavily impeded on our daily activities. 

The social landscape no longer is reliant on face-to-face but rather mediated through a piece of technology. As this transforms our relationships with our peers because there no longer needs to be that physical presence for social interaction but rather when we are offline these interactions are still happening. As this is consistent with Katherines life, as her constant activity on her phone is drawn to the fear that she is missing out on these social interactions. Or rather we can identify this feeling associated with anxiety; the anxious feeling as if you’re missing out on something. Therefore, the following theoretical perspective that is exemplified in the article is technological determinism. While Katherine finds her gratification through looking at the various apps she has opened as time seemingly goes by, this is her social life. Her relationships are based on the mediation of a piece of technology- her phone in the sense is a portal to social connections and relationships. While she can walk away from her phone, she risks the likelihood of missing “68 notifications” and this is a result of a large contribution of her anxiety. Katherine associates her phone as a sense of comfort and it moves beyond the simplicity of connectivity. I chose this perspective in the sense that the phone has inevitably moved beyond just being a piece of technology but rather it is perceived with high value and significance specifically regarding Generation Z. 

We begin to have difficultly defining a life without this form of communication and how it has drastically transformed communication at the very core. It has taught generations a new form of interconnectedness than any previous generation. Unfortunately, as a result there are consequences of this immediate satisfaction that often leaves the individual feeling anxious. 


Thanks for reading! 


Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 7, 2018 at 1:54 PM

    Awesome post!

    Interesting point you brought up about how our social construction of relationships has been changed with he use of technology, as is seen between Katherine and her Father. With technological advancements, as you said, it becomes harder and harder for individuals to have relationships as all they seem to do is constantly be attached to ones [phone, or laptop, or what have you. With technological determinism, it seems as though our lives are determined by what new technology is being put forth.We liv win a generation that has been brought up with technology and social media, thus our values lie within this technological world. Thus, with Katherine we can see that her value lie with likes and comments, and putting up the best picture.

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  2. UnknownDecember 6, 2018 at 5:00 PM

    That’s an interesting point on the difference of relationships from past and present. I agree that the absence of technology versus the presence of technology has very different social implications for people. When I was younger and playing outside, the most I knew of anyone having any sort of technological ‘addiction’ was from a friend that watched many hours of TV or played many hours of video games. Those ‘addictions’ derived more from an addiction of content or self-competition, however, like you said, I believe Katherine’s ‘addiction’ and anxiety stems from content but also the constant social interaction that the technology affords. On Katherine’s ride home her technology enables her to check applications as many times as she wants for as long as she wants where she assesses her level of likability or popularity–being the reason her anxiety is triggered. Whereby, the absence of mobile devices when we were children afforded us the choice to look outside the window.

    Thanks for making me think of this from a new perspective!

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