The article 13 Right Now, depicts the daily life of a thirteen year old
girl who is fully immersed in social media via her smartphone for almost all of
her waking day. The best way to explain this “addiction” and need for constant
connectivity socially, is through the social shaping of technology
theoretical perspective. The majority of the meaning and feelings associated
with certain platforms and applications is created through social interaction
and experience, however these platforms and applications such as Instagram
enable meaning to be created around them, being designed with uses in mind yet
not dictating how people use them.
Feelings and meaning surrounding Instagram
and other social media platforms such as anxiety and a need to be connected are
created through social interaction. In the article the subject expresses “the
best thing is the notification box” as well as that if a post doesn’t receive
enough likes that she will delete it. These
statements display the affirmation and pleasure she receives through getting
likes on her photos. A significant amount of pressure and anxiety is then
associated with picking the correct photo and posting it at a specific time to
receive the most likes possible. The seeming “addiction” people have to
smartphones is not in the design of the smartphone and its applications, yet is
created through peoples own experiences and interactions with social media and
other people on the platforms.
I chose the Social Shaping of Technology
perspective because it approaches technology logically considering the ways
that people give technology their own meaning that it isn’t necessarily
designed to have, yet the meaning would not be there without the technology in
the first place.
Below is a link to another article in the screen age series done by the Washington Post which describes terms used by internet and social media users that are unfamiliar to people who aren't active on the platforms. This article is very interesting because it demonstrates the vocabulary that has been developed within online communities.
Charley,
ReplyDeleteVery well done post this week! I throughly enjoyed your article you tagged, that connects to this weeks topic. I thought this was a nice addition to your post. Also the comment you pointed out about the notification box was very well used as justification to prove your points. Overall very well written post!
Thanks,
Shianne
I agree with your statement on "addiction" of these social media outlets. Although it was not the original intent for the technology the apps that were created for these devices have made it into a device that has multiple purposes and has multiple ways of use. Instagram has become one of the most popular cites for young users and has become a way to self-represent yourselves in a certain light to other acquaintances. One's popularity know comes from the amount of likes you receive rather than your intrinsic qualities. This forms a sort of quantitative display of who knows you or who "likes you". Great post!
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