It may be hard to admit, but 13 year old Katherine is the typical teenager, she is addicted to her phone and social media. Like others her cell phone has become a part of her identity, and when she is without it she is faced with conflicts and ultimately anxiety that she is missing out on an opportunity to be seen! This is the whole idea of "FOMO" and not being a part of the conversation. What I find funny, is while teenagers are on their phones making sure they don't miss anything in the social media world, they are missing out on real life. Katherine gets in the car after a day at school and with a click on this video and like that persons photo - she is home. The more social media becomes prominent in our every day lives the more meaning we attach to cell phones. Although it is still a communication tool, it is now associated with a sense of security and validation for teens and young adults.
In chapter 2, four different theoretical perspectives are discussed. I choose to write about Social Shaping of Technology. It is defined as the middle ground between technology and social constructivism. Baym describes it as "the consequences of technologies that arise from mix of affordances - the capabilities of configuration of technological qualities enable - and the unexpected and emergent ways that people use those affordances" (p. 51). It explains how society and technology are able to interaction with each other to create new technologies. The cell phone which was once just a form of communication is now a source of entertainment and where we can find our self worth.
I chose to talk about this perspective because I feel like there are many days I am just like Katherine, passive in the world around me, trying to find comfort and real meaning in essentially a piece of plastic (well $600 plastic). I remember when I got my first cell phone and how important I felt when I got a text message from a friend. And now just a few years later and I feel that same excitement I did when I would get a text message but now its for the likes. I think it is very interesting I can go from being an active to passive member of society just by pulling my phone out of my purse and looking at it rather than who ever is in my company .
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your ideas about this topic.
Katherine's cellphone has for sure become a part of her identity and how scary is that? I agree it is very hard to come to the reality that this is the story of just a typical teenager in our world today. I too am just like Katherine some days, consumed with my phone and realizing so much time has past as I scroll through the same Instagram timeline over and over.
It may be hard for most to put down their phone and unplug for a while, but experiencing REAL life instead of the digital world is so much more enriching! Such a great point.
I agree with both of you, Katherine depends on her cellphone for comfort and acceptance from friends - she is lost and anxious without it. Katherine's parents initially bought her a cell phone in case there was a health emergency with her mom, however her mom is no longer around and she uses her cell phone for just about everything - missing out on actually experiencing the real world. Katherine developed cell phone 'norms' other than using it for emergency phone calls. She depends on likes, comments, and followers in order to feel accepted and loved by her friends rather than spending quality face-to-face time with them. The tech device enables Katherine to have that specific dependency even though that is not the intended purpose of it. In sum, the story about Katherine Pommerening demonstrates how technology and society continually influence one another, as highlighted in Baym's Social Shaping of Technology principle.
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