Blog Post #2
For this post I have decided to use Baym's social
construction perspective of technology in order to examine and develop a
further understanding of how the Katherine Pommerenin article is a clear
example of how our anxieties surrounding social media and technology stem primarily
from our cultural values and social norms.
The social construction view presents the idea that
technology does not determine our choices but rather we make choices that impact
technology. Individuals consciously choose how and when they use technology
based on what they have learned from social norms and decide what is useful and
what they like which ultimately causes us to change technology to suit our
needs and improve our social world. I chose to use this particular framework
while looking at this article as I feel like Katherine has been exposed to expectations
and norms in her daily life which impacts the way and how often she uses her
phone. We can see that when the author mentions that her iPhone is where all of
her friends are always hanging out. Clearly Katherine wants to be directly
involved with her friends and what they are doing and if that means always
being on her iPhone rather than directly with them, then that’s where she’s going to be.
We can also see that the anxieties from Katherine and her
dad are those that are present in our everyday “real lives” whether technology
was present or not. The anxieties presented in this article surrounding social
media and technology are markedly different for both Katherine and her dad. Affirmation and being accepted if one of Katherine’s
main concerns when she’s using technology/social media. This is clear when she
mentions how specific she is with what she posts and when she doesn’t receive enough
‘likes” the photo is to be deleted. This need to fit in and to be thought of as
pretty and interesting is something that is socially constructed in which again
would appear in “real life” in for example, Katherine’s classroom. Her dad’s
concerns surrounding technology are her safety on her phone and the internet and
admits to have tried putting parental control on her phone. These anxieties and
constant involvement are not only present for Katherine’s phone and internet
use, but earlier in the article you can see that her dad is worried about if she’s
eating breakfast and wearing a coat. It’s natural for parents to be worried
about their kids as society tells us it’s the parent’s job to protect them.
I really enjoyed reading your post. I also used the social construction framework in explaining Katherine's obsession with her phone. Society has made the use of social media a norm, where you are considered an "outsider" if you do not participate and represent yourself online. In many ways, similar to Katherine, people keep up their social media identity to please other people and ensure they are always connected, and like you said, ensure they fit in. I also discussed her dad's concerns with her social media use. This shows the effects it not only has on the user, but everyone around them as well.
ReplyDeleteI also discussed the social construction view in my blog post and mentioned the anxieties surrounding safety of children on the Internet. You mentioned how this is one of Katherine's dads concerns while Katherine's anxieties regarding technology are much different as she focuses on being 'popular' on Social Media. I think it is important that you note how parents are worried about their children and that it is their job to protect them. With the influx of the Internet and prevalence of younger and younger children becoming active online, it is becoming increasingly difficult for parents to protect them. It is now nearly impossible for a parent to be aware of everything that their child is doing on their phone and the types of people that they are interacting with online. Since all of Katherine's friends are always online, it would be difficult for her to choose to be different since then she could potentially become an outcast and lose many of her friends. However, we did read an article about teens who are choosing to boycott Social Media which I think could potentially become increasingly trendy among youth.
ReplyDeleteI think your post was very well written and showed your understanding of the theory social construction and it's relation to Katherine's story. I originally didn't connect this theory with Katherine's story, however, after reading your post and your perceptive I completely see the connection now. In the generation we are in right now, society has completely normalized the overuse of social media and technology. Katherine chooses to hang out with her friends on her phone rather than in person because that is the norm now. It's crazy to think that future friendships between children and teens will never have an amazing face to face connection because our society makes these children believe that a connection over the phone is more important! I hope in the future our society can revert this and see how important it is so create real face to face connections.
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