The Anxieties of Social Constructed Technology

     After reading the article, “13, right now” by Jessica Contrera, it immediately reminded me of Nancy K. Baym’s theory of Social Construction of Technology (SCOT). According to Baym, “SCOT focuses on how technology arises from social processes” (44).   This means that technology emerges and becomes popularized not because they are the best technology, but because society makes decisions on which technologies they want to use and what they should be used for. In chapter two she provides many example of how technologies that were created for particular purposes have evolved based on how people have decided to use them. In Contrera’s article she tells the story of Katherine Pommerening and how she, a 13-year-old girl, uses technology. Throughout the article, Katherine descries the ways she uses technology based on the social practices that her generation has developed. As different social media platforms have evolved, individuals have decided what each application has been used for. It the article Katherine explains that Instagram is used for only the ‘best’ pictures that will reinforce her social standing. Contrera writes, “There are only 25 photos on her page because she deletes most of what she posts. The ones that don’t get enough likes, don’t have good enough lighting or don’t show the coolest moments in her life must be deleted (2016). This demonstration of how Katherine uses her technology is based on how social practices that were developed by society, not the manufactures. This establishes that Katherine will only publish pictures on Instagram that have the best lighting, depict the “coolest” moments, and images that are validated by her peers through likes and comments. Violating these social practise inflicts a type of anxiety in Katherine. For violating these socially constructed practices could demonstrate to her peers that she is not a part of the elite.

     Katherine is not the only person in the article that develops anxieties based on SCOT. Katherine’s dad is a single father who has developed many fears based on how his daughter is using her technology. Baym’s describes this fear as a “moral panic” in which, “anxieties over incontrollable social forces became the focus of efforts to understand a new cultural trend” (49). Katherine’s dad fear’s of how her technological social practices have influenced her. He did not grow up in the technological era and therefore doesn’t have the same conceptual understanding of social media platforms. Since he does not understand the same socially constructed practices, he is left in the dark. It is not uncommon for people panic once new technologies arise while society is trying to develop a place for them. As time goes on and society progresses, this panic will likely subside and Katherine's dad is more likely to adapt to the socially constructed technological uses.