The Domestication Of Technology
Technology has become deeply immersed within
society today and with it has brought forth a great deal of anxieties for young
adults, especially young girls. The “Screen Age” paints a picture of
present day society’s 13 year Katherine Pommerening,
constantly on her phone and obsessed with sites such as, Instagram, Facebook, and
Snapchat. She strives to attain a
strong presence on her social media in order to maintain a steady following.
Always making sure she uses the right filter, and posts at the right time of
day, in order to reach the most “likes” or “views”.
The
term domestication of technology “concurs with social shaping in seeing both
technology and society as influences in the consequences of new media…[and how
they are] embedded deeply in the practices of everyday life” (Baym 52). New
technologies are constantly being brought into young adults lives. Furthermore, the angst that comes with new technologies and social media is unavoidable. 13 years olds are documenting and sharing every detail of their life in order
to gain a positive response and if they don’t get one, they delete what they
posted.
Pommerening’s social presence essentially controls her identity. She
has effectively created a place for people to view her life through an edited lens. This in turn can make someone very anxious, as they
must continue to keep up their appearance.
Baym states, “ as technologies are
integrated into everyday life, they come to be seen as an offering a nuanced
mix of both positive and negative implications” (Baym 53). A positive is that
it allows for people to easily communicate with one another from any location.
One of the major downsides is the stress and obsession one attains with their
phones, it becomes their lifeline and if lost the individual becomes lost.
This theoretical framework can be applied to not only Katherine Pommerening, but to many adults today. Technology has become a tool that dictates ones actions in life, and it is safe to say it has become a very important tool in my life. Looking back to when I was
13, I had a Hot Pink LG Razor, and it was solely used to get a hold of my
parents. I remember being able to go on the Internet maybe twice a week and
sitting at the computer watching and listening to the dial up connect. Today,
you see 4 year olds crying for their IPad and 13 year olds with hundreds of
followers. As technology has increased
its presence over the years, it has also begun to immerse itself into younger
generations lives.
I found a really interesting article on time.com based on the book "American Girls: Social Media and The Secret Life of Teenagers" By, Nancy Jo Sales. It is about how social media is impacting young girls lives. Its a short read so check it out if your interested!
Link:
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post, I thought it was very insightful and I agree with all of your statements. Something that really resonated with me was when you said "Pommerening’s social presence essentially controls her identity. She has effectively created a place for people to view her life through an edited lens". This was such a perfect way to state how social media profiles are never what they seem, and how much effort and great lengths people will go to in order to make it appear as if their life is more exciting, adventurous and "cooler" than in reality. Everyone wants to feel admiration, but they are really evoking false admiration from their peers.
I really enjoyed reading your post as well! I agree social media technologies hold a great importance in our life. We essentially use it to create her own edited identity of which we can control and most times obsess over. What really scares me is the importance it can have on important aspects of your life such as obtaining a job. A social media site can make or break your career if an employer views your social media and creates a pre-conceived idea of who you are.
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