Domesticated Digital: 100 Likes, Birthday Besties, and Snapchat Scores

Nancy Baym’s perspective on the domestication of technology, is the framework through which I believe I can best analyze the social anxiety enabled by new digital media in teens.  In “13, right now: This is what it's like to grow up in the age of likes, lols and longing” Katherine exemplifies how digital media has become “everyday (tame) objects embedded deeply in the practices of daily life” (Baym 52) through a couple of practices that some people limited by a generational gap may assess as “wild.” The domestication of technology is the most effective perspective for me, because I am almost ten years older than Katherine, and this makes her assessment of normal or "tame" activities more recognizable to me as I still see some of them as "wild", whereas I am not as easily distanced from a social shaping or social construction frameworks.

Consider what Katherine means when she says, “Over 100 likes is good, for me.” Placing this in the context of her own social media standards expresses that in order to cope with the social anxiety of online popularity, teens rationalize a set of individual standards through which they may assess themselves in a preferable light.  If the girl Katherine discusses gets a lot of likes because she posts TBH pictures excessively and, for instance, another friend from school gets a lot of likes because he is friends with a vine celebrity, then Katherine can accept that around 100 likes is acceptable for her and her status in comparison.  It would not be likely for her to hold herself to the same 100 like standard if she just made her account recently. The fact that she deletes photos in order to maintain this standard exemplifies the everyday construction of her identity and standards. In order to cope with the social anxieties that digital media presents, she guides herself with her own rationalized standards. 

The “celebration” of birthdays has placed more importance on a process of friendship validation, than a tradition of partaking enjoyable activities in a physical space. Katherine posts a picture for her friend’s birthday, explaining that to do so is important. It is unsurprising that on Katherine’s birthday, she attentively waits for her friends to post a picture for her.  This practice is contrasted in the article by framing it with the physical presence of her grandparents, who came to her house to celebrate with her.  A decade ago, a teen might opt to enthusiastically emerge from her room to greet her family members on her birthday, to seek gifts, a birthday breakfast, and attention from those who came to physically celebrate with her.  Instead, the feeling of joy is postponed until a post can satisfy her anxiety.  I am not criticizing her, as I know that on my birthday I do the same thing, but it is with this contrast that the normalization of the practice can be identified.

Sending an excess number of snaps in order to ascertain a desirable Snapchat score before adding boys of romantic interest is something that I view as slightly wild, however I understand that my use of media as an adult differs from hers.  

I mean, this exists...

So I guess it is that important.

Although I would be disappointed to lose my score, I think that the effort it would take to regain 1000 points in one day would be too daunting of a task, and I might opt to either wait to add them until I get a decent amount of points, or just add them anyway.  The fact that having a low Snapchat score is considered so embarrassing that she must immediately address the situation, sheds light onto both the daily engagement and the anxiety that Katherine faces with digital media. 

Through the normalized practices of enforcing content standards relative to the individual, prioritizing digital celebration over physical celebration on one's birthday, and widespread quantification of popularity through constant engagement, the domestication of digital media becomes apparent.  The associated anxiety can be identified as one considers the rationalization behind these practices.