Blog Post #2
The social construction of technology, “[v]iews new technologies and their uses as consequences of social factors” (Baym, 2015, p. 51). The way technological devices such as phones and laptops are used is largely dependant on social and cultural norms and expectations. I will focus on Baym’s theoretical perspective on the social construction of technology because people like Katherine Pommerening from the article would not be addicted to their phones if phones were not socially constructed as “necessities” in our everyday lives. People facilitate social changes, not technology, because people are the ones creating, controlling, altering, and evolving these technologies that are reshaping our lives (p. 44). It is important to understand how social norms and structures have shaped the usage and prominence of these technologies.
Baym stated, “[a] wide range of social, economic, governmental, and cultural factors influence how people take up and use media” (p. 46). For example, once cell phones, laptops, etc., were introduced in Western countries and made affordable to the average population, their relevance and usage continued to grow. Today, it has become a social and cultural norm of the West to own these technologies and use them on a daily basis to stay connected and up to date with the online world. The online world has immensely grown and expanded making us users feel as if there is always something to do on either a phone or laptop. This is a reason why these tools have become go-to devices when we are bored or want to pass time. This explains Katherine’s phone usage during car rides, as well as during free time at school and home. Katherine’s need to always carry her phone while waiting until the next time she can use it are the anxieties connected to the addictions we have developed with phone usage.
Baym (2015) emphasizes the concern for children when new technologies and media forms emerge that have the ability to harm and alter their lives (p. 47-48). This strongly relates to the article about Katherine Pommerening and how her childhood has been drastically altered by her phone, the internet, and social media. Since phones have become the dominating device in our current society, it has become normal for children to either have their own phone or have easy accessibility to someone else’s phone. Children are growing up in a society that is dominated by technologies and devices, therefore, they learn how to function and use these devices by watching those around them. This is changing the way they spend their time on a daily basis by using a phone or computer to play video games, watch TV, or participating on social media instead of socializing face-to-face or playing outside. The internet exposes children to inappropriate content that can damage their youthful mentality (Baym, 2015, p. 48). Children are becoming addicted to these devices, which is shifting their daily activities, mindset, social skills, etc. This addiction creates anxieties that phone users like Katherine experience when they are prevented from using their phone. These anxieties continue to progress when Katherine is determined to, “[g]et better at her phone and become one of the girls who know what to post, how to caption it, when to like, what to comment”. Peoples’ obsession with perfecting their presence on social media only continues to grow because social media has become a globally dominating online world of networking. Many of its users are competing with one another for the best pictures, personal page, captions, the most likes and comments, and essentially the best and most desired online presence. These anxieties make social media users care more about their online identity than their identity and happiness in real-life. Many children are not aware of the risks and danger that can occur if they are not careful with their internet usage including privacy settings, revealing their personal information, who they talk to, etc., (Baym, 2015, p. 48). The increasing amount of online bullying is another negative and damaging aspect that the internet allows, which drastically affects children’s lives (p. 49).
Baym, N. K. (2015). Making new media make sense. In Personal connections in the digital age: Digital media and society series (2nd ed., pp. 44-51). Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.
Baym stated, “[a] wide range of social, economic, governmental, and cultural factors influence how people take up and use media” (p. 46). For example, once cell phones, laptops, etc., were introduced in Western countries and made affordable to the average population, their relevance and usage continued to grow. Today, it has become a social and cultural norm of the West to own these technologies and use them on a daily basis to stay connected and up to date with the online world. The online world has immensely grown and expanded making us users feel as if there is always something to do on either a phone or laptop. This is a reason why these tools have become go-to devices when we are bored or want to pass time. This explains Katherine’s phone usage during car rides, as well as during free time at school and home. Katherine’s need to always carry her phone while waiting until the next time she can use it are the anxieties connected to the addictions we have developed with phone usage.
Baym (2015) emphasizes the concern for children when new technologies and media forms emerge that have the ability to harm and alter their lives (p. 47-48). This strongly relates to the article about Katherine Pommerening and how her childhood has been drastically altered by her phone, the internet, and social media. Since phones have become the dominating device in our current society, it has become normal for children to either have their own phone or have easy accessibility to someone else’s phone. Children are growing up in a society that is dominated by technologies and devices, therefore, they learn how to function and use these devices by watching those around them. This is changing the way they spend their time on a daily basis by using a phone or computer to play video games, watch TV, or participating on social media instead of socializing face-to-face or playing outside. The internet exposes children to inappropriate content that can damage their youthful mentality (Baym, 2015, p. 48). Children are becoming addicted to these devices, which is shifting their daily activities, mindset, social skills, etc. This addiction creates anxieties that phone users like Katherine experience when they are prevented from using their phone. These anxieties continue to progress when Katherine is determined to, “[g]et better at her phone and become one of the girls who know what to post, how to caption it, when to like, what to comment”. Peoples’ obsession with perfecting their presence on social media only continues to grow because social media has become a globally dominating online world of networking. Many of its users are competing with one another for the best pictures, personal page, captions, the most likes and comments, and essentially the best and most desired online presence. These anxieties make social media users care more about their online identity than their identity and happiness in real-life. Many children are not aware of the risks and danger that can occur if they are not careful with their internet usage including privacy settings, revealing their personal information, who they talk to, etc., (Baym, 2015, p. 48). The increasing amount of online bullying is another negative and damaging aspect that the internet allows, which drastically affects children’s lives (p. 49).
Baym, N. K. (2015). Making new media make sense. In Personal connections in the digital age: Digital media and society series (2nd ed., pp. 44-51). Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.
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