Social Shaping of Social Media

To my understanding, I would say the type of anxieties that are associated with new media and Katherine "being better at her phone" comes from the desire of being liked. Most young girls always want to be like someone else, but in nicer words, I'll say a role model. However, some of the role models that are popular in this day in age aren't exactly fit to be role models. It's all about having a certain look, knowing or following the right people and making sure you get the outcome you desired on a post you uploaded.

The reason I chose social shaping of technology was due to the fact that we base most of the things we do around technology; we can't just fully be who we are. After reading the article, we are able to see Katherine as a prime example of what most young girls are doing. "Social media platforms engineer particular kinds of sociality even as their users develop norms around their use" (Baym 51). What Baym means by this is that through social media, it has the ability to change and shape a person's new "reality". By becoming so involved with it, it becomes who they are. It's normal for Katherine to be on all of these social media platforms because that has become her social norm. So when a girl like Katherine "wants to get better at her phone" it means she wants to be better than all the girls who are "better" at their phones.

The Social Shaping of Technology: Today's Technological Reality

In the second chapter of Nancy Baym’s ‘Personal Connections in the Digital Age’ she elaborates on the various ways in which society and modern media technology interact with one another. Within this chapter Baym explains that with the increasingly rapid developments of social media and digital technologies many individuals are becoming victims of certain anxieties that are associated with today’s digital media age.  Aspects of our daily lives such as our personal and professional relationships, the authenticity of online content and our personal perspectives of ourselves are negatively affected by these virtual realities. Baym suggests that our society is so reliant on these technologies that we no longer question their importance or use.

In this chapter the social shaping of technology perspective is defined by how society has adapted the way it functions on a daily basis in order to ensure that we have continual access to new and efficient technologies. It can be considered to be a middle ground between technological determinism and the social construction of technology. This perspective focuses specifically on how individuals throughout time have began to create their own meaning and use for specific technologies and platforms. Baym suggests that, “social media platforms engineer particular kinds of sociality even as their users develop norms around their use” (51). This statement holds true when discussing many social media platforms and digital technologies, such as the evolution of the mobile phone. Although originally intended to be used as a communication device, the mobile phone has evolved throughout time into a source of entertainment and a resource for vital information. It can therefore be argued that the rise of mobile phones into smart phones seems to be influenced directly by the popularity and social shaping of technology. Society has opted to influence the development of the mobile phone by allotting this form of technology and the various apps associated with it a specific importance or role in their daily lives.

Katherine Pommermning is a prime example of many teenagers in today’s contemporary society who fall victims of social media and the unrealistic expectations associated with these online social platforms.  If we were to ask any teenager whether he or she suffers directly from social media anxiety, their answer would most likely be no. With that being said it is apparent that the importance associated with likes and the fear of missing out on a social conversation (otherwise known as FOMO) play an influential role in the way in which young adults choose to interact with others and the world around them. It is extremely unfortunate that so many teenagers choose to translate a simple like on Instagram into personal validation, attention or even self worth. Katherine explains that she feels as if she needs to receive a specific amount of likes on a photo in order for her to keep the photo posted on her profile.

Social media anxiety among young adults is extensively detrimental to our society’s progression as a whole and should be actively addressed. I personally recall a specific story that bombarded the news a few years ago regarding a young teenage girl who had chosen to take her own life in an attempt to escape the ongoing cyber bullying she adhered daily too. This young girl is a prime example of how the Internet is perceived by young adults to be the main informational hub for all social conversations and interactions (both positive and negative). I have provided the link below to Amanda Todd’s YouTube video that she created to educate others about the ongoing struggles she was facing both internally and externally. I would like to note that although Amanda’s insecurities were associated directly with the Internet, she still found comfort in the platform YouTube as she reached out for love and support.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej7afkypUsc

I chose this framework because it is evident that in today’s day and age both technology and society as a whole play an influential role in enabling various social anxieties onto many young adults. As stated in the Katherine Pommerening article, new technologies and social platforms are constantly being developed and evolved. However, in order for a platform or technology to prosper it must intrigue and entice consumers to not only purchase/use the product but also to promote and adopt the technology into their lifestyle. It is therefore apparent that so many teenagers face social anxiety strictly because they rely on their mobile phones and social apps so much so that they are incapable of functioning in society without the constant reassurance of constant communication with the outside world. I personally believe that we as a global society need to reenforce the importance of a healthy balance between online and physical (face-to-face) interactions in order to ensure that young adults understand and acknowledge their self worth. 

Making new media make sense_Technological determinism

In the second chapter of Personal Connections in the Digital Age titled “Making New Media Make Sense,” author Nancy Baym writes about the relationship between technology and the social and social anxieties that go along with it. To discuss the anxiety about how the interactivity of new digital media is evidenced in the article about Katherine Pommerening titled “13, right now,” I will be taking a technological deterministic perspective.

Technological determinism is the theory that technology changes society. Baym writes, “…the technology is conceptualized as an external agent that acts upon and changes society,” (27). Examples of this can be found throughout the article about Pommerening. More specifically, Katherine says that she doesn’t feel like a kid anymore and attributes that to the fact that everything is at her fingertips. Baym cites an essay written by Nick Carr in which Carr says that he was passive to “someone, or something” changing him. Katherine, too, was changed by the technology she began using after sixth grade.

Further, Baym notes earlier in the chapter that interactivity gives rise to “issues of authenticity and well-being of people, interactions, and relationships that use new media,” (24). Katherine Pommerening is a 13-year-old girl who worries about how many likes she’ll get, how people will perceive her based on her number of snaps and if people will think she’s “nice and pretty.” These anxieties come out of issues that probably didn’t exist for Katherine before she began using apps like Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter.

Most important though, is Baym’s point about how technology is dumbing us down. Since Socrates, she says, people have been concerned that the use of new technologies will affect our intelligence (29-30). She cites one study in which people’s attention spans were being reduced because they were not engaging their brains when using Twitter, for example (29-30). In Pommerening’s case I think this could be true as well. The author of the article often makes note of what Katherine is doing: “She doesn’t respond, her thumb on Instagram. A Barbara Walters meme is on the screen. She scrolls, and another meme appears. Then another meme, and she closes the app. She opens BuzzFeed. There’s a story about Florida Gov. Rick Scott, which she scrolls past to get to a story about Janet Jackson, then “28 Things You’ll Understand If You’re Both British and American.” She closes it. She opens Instagram. She opens the NBA app. She shuts the screen off. She turns it back on. She opens Spotify. Opens Fitbit. She has 7,427 steps. Opens Instagram again. Opens Snapchat. She watches a sparkly rainbow flow from her friend’s mouth. She watches a YouTube star make pouty faces at the camera. She watches a tutorial on nail art. She feels the bump of the driveway and looks up. They’re home. Twelve minutes have passed.” The author has clearly illustrated Katherine's inability to focus on either a conversation, because she didn't respond to a question, or a single app on her phone. 

Unfortunately, Katherine's case isn't unique. While writing this post I opened a new tab on my computer probably a dozen times to check Instagram or Facebook without even realizing I was doing it. 

Anxieties Surrounding New Media and the Social Shaping of Technology

The Social Shaping of Technology is the perspective that pinpoints the middle ground between Technological Determinism and the Social Construction of Technology. It determines that influence is presented from both directions; technology has the ability to influence the development of society and vice versa. When applying this perspective to the Katherine Pommerening article, while it is the technology that presents a platform for these anxieties to develop, it is society that creates certain ideologies and values surround new media that, in turn, become said anxieties.

One of the many anxieties surrounding interactivity of new digital media is the need for a constant update. This is better known to the younger generation as the "fear of missing out," or "fomo." In the Katherine Pommerening article, we can see Katherine displaying signs of "fomo" when she is constantly switching between applications in order to see what is occurring with her friends, or even celebrities she is interested in. The "iPhone is the place where all of her friends are always hanging out. So it's the place where she is, too" (Contrera 2016), and if she is not, she feels as if she were falling behind.

The interactivity in new digital media also "promotes an ideological view that these social media applications and a high amount of notifications is something to be valued" (Herman September 22). This can be seen through the promise of a "tbh" that is made in order to get more Instagram likes, and again, in the last paragraph in the Katherine Pommerening article, which states, "But first, her friends will divide whether to post pictures of Katherine for her birthday. Whether they like her enough to put a picture of her on their page" (Contrera 2016). This presents the idea of receiving validation through a notification box.

I chose to discuss Social Shaping of Technology because the relationship between technology and society is a two way street and this point is really emphasized in the Katherine Pommerening article. new technology is always being created and existing technologies innovated, although those that truly meet society's wants and needs are the ones that inevitable are adopted by our culture. A specific technology does not have the ability to be forced upon us and accepted by us if we cannot find a daily use for it. For example, would social media have existed today is our culture and society was not interested in a more efficient form of communication?

Social Shaping of Social Media

The article “13, Right Now”, written by Jessica Contrera, is a very interesting read and I feel as if many people can relate to the storyline and the ways in which smartphones and social media make us feel.  The article discusses the everyday life of a 13 year old girl named Katherine Pommerening.  It begins by explaining the morning routine of Katherine.  She ensures she has checked all of her social media accounts, more than once.  This is because all of her friends are on social media and this is the platform that they use to connect to one another.  Within today’s society, it is very rare to meet someone within our age group and younger that doesn’t have at least one form of social media.  Having social media is an expectation within our society.  This expectation has led to anxiety about the interactivity that comes with social media and the digital age.  This anxiety comes about through many ways, one being the constant need to stay connected and to appear connected throughout the world of social media.

Social Shaping can be described as “a mix of affordances, the capabilities configurations of technological qualities enable—and the unexpected and emergent ways that people make use these of those affordances" (51, Baym).  Social Shaping is apparent throughout Katherine’s use of social media, in particular, Instagram.  It is evident, that for Katherine, Instagram is a place where people want to feel accepted.  She seems to be very particular with her Instagram postings and claims she deletes a lot of her pictures if they do not get as many likes as she intended.  Because of this, it has induced anxiety over her as she may feel that her peers will not accept her.

I feel that Social Shaping is apparent within my life in the aspect of Instagram as well.  I do feel anxiety if my post does not get as many likes as I first intended or if I do not keep up with Instagram consistently enough that I may miss a friend’s post.  I believe that this Instagram related anxiety is very common, and I have had conversations with friends about this and similar topics, and many feel the same way as well.

Technological Determinism And A Sad Reality

With the rise of new digital media came a new way of social interaction and communication as a whole. A technology based world of apps, emojis and likes. With every new generation in my opinion brings new levels of anxieties provoked by new digital media. In Katherine’s sake, a 13 year old girl’s life revolves around the world living inside of her iPhone therefore bringing a tremendous amount of anxiety along with this obsession. Within the article written about Katherine the author states that:

“Katherine Pommerening’s iPhone is the place where all of her friends are always hanging out. So it’s the place where she is, too. She’s on it after it rings to wake her up in the mornings. She’s on it at school, when she can sneak it. She’s on it while her 8-year-old sister, Lila, is building crafts out of beads. She sets it down to play basketball, to skateboard, to watch PG-13 comedies and sometimes to eat dinner, but when she picks it back up, she might have 64 unread messages”.

This paragraph creates a type of anxiety that Katherine feels every time she is not looking at her iPhone screen, one that is a kind of ‘fear of missing out’ feeling (usually known as F.O.M.O). 

Her iPhone is a place where to her, the latest and greatest things are happening and switching from app to app will mean she is there to experience it. With this must come a sense of overwhelming stress, to have the need to always be posting the best photo or getting the most likes like young Katherine so desperately feels to be doing. Social media has produced this sense of social pressure and has projected it onto the world’s newest generation especially. Pressure of constantly feeling the need to compare the lives of one another through the pictures and videos that are posted online. Who is more popular? Who is having more fun? Who has more followers? This article also highlights a certain restless feeling Katherine feels as she switches from app to app while in the car. The attention span of this generation is being overcome by the need to be refreshing timelines.

The theory of ‘Technological Determinism’ as discussed in the second chapter of Personal Connections in the Digital Age highlights the idea that technology is the sole influence on the way society thinks, feels and reacts. With this being said, new digital media being a huge factor in this theory. It is clearly displayed in the article by Jessica Contrera that Katherine’s whole world revolves around technology and new digital media. Katherine lives her life wondering how many likes she will get, she communicates through texts, comments and snapchats. This clearly shows how technology has taken the reins of her life. As generations go on we can see how these machines “change us” and this although this theory takes a very dystopian view on the world it seems to be a very sad reality of the way we live.

I chose to relate this to technological determinism because though I would like to think that machines changing us can also be positive and not 100% negative, I cannot deny the fact that this is happening. Technology is continuing to influence and alter the way we live and I see it within my own world as well, this theory was the clear choice in my opinion. If people focus on real relationships and not just the relationship between you and your Instagram followers, I believe there to be some hope to not have these anxieties devour our whole world.

With this being said, I think I can speak for the majority of this class and even our generation when I say that reading Katherine’s story made me feel EXTREMELY thankful that I did not grow up being obsessed and consumed with a cellphone by thirteen.

Technological Determinism/Self Fulfillment - My Brother is the Same Age as Katherine

Nancy Baym's position on new media and the anxieties that comes along with them sheds light into our everyday activities and new communication medium consequences. Taking a further in-depth look at our everyday lives allows for Baym's response to highlight how destructive the mobility of new media can be. Baym (25) mentions how through communication people assign symbolic meanings to technology. Due to this concept we can see how anxieties around media effect the daily habits of the everyday person, as we have blurred the term privacy and in turn created a source for "individual and collective 'anxiety'" (Baym, 24). 

Baym discusses the theoretical perspective of technological determinism and it's relationship between technology and the social. In relation to this perspective the Washington Post published an article on the social life of a young 13 year old girl named Katherine Pommerening that highlighted aspects of the force of change that technology allows. Including the idea that we are disconnected from the world around us. In just a short twelve minute drive home, the article expresses how Pommerening focuses on her phone the whole time. Scrolling, clicking, and zooming she opens endless apps such as Instagram, Twitter, Spotify, the NBA app, and even takes time to watch videos on Youtube. Claude Fischer approach to technological determinism can be proven here as it is what he calls "impact-imprint" (Baym, 28). This perspective focuses on the idea that "technologies change history by transferring their essential qualities" and such direct effect nevertheless effects people because rather than "using it" people are "used by it" (Baym, 29). In relation to this idea Pommerening draws attention to the concept of 'likes' on social media. She is being used by the device in a way that she feels if she doesn't receive enough likes the picture will be deleted. Otherwise described as not getting enough attention, the whole idea of this is a popularity contest. One that is broadcasted to the world, 'her' world'. The desire to be "better at her phone" simply allows for the everyday habits of her cellular device to create anxieties simply because it is not just an obsession but a demanding lifestyle. Direct effects of technologies put in a simplistic way is that "the more you use them, the more they use you, and the more you are influenced by them them" (Baym, 29). An aspect of this that is troubling is the ability for ideological images to be circulated. Where a young girl such as Katherine can be influenced by any picture or text she sees at the touch of a finger. She doesn't have the occasional magazine to see what society deems as 'perfect' at the time but instead a constant image of it everywhere she looks; or better yet clicks. This concept is thus projected into the idea of self fulfillment and how anyone who uses social media faces the obsession to be better and for people to notice that. Whether conscious of it or not the self affirmation in notifications, comments, and likes controls users such as Katherine Pommerening. 

“I don’t feel like a child anymore” she says. “I’m not doing anything childish. At the end of sixth grade” — when all her friends got phones and downloaded Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter — “I just stopped doing everything I normally did. Playing games at recess, playing with toys, all of it, done.” (Washington Post, 2016) 

Why I chose to focus on the theoretical framework of technological determinism is because I related to it. Fischer's perspective to me perfectly describes the world in which we live in today. I have two younger brothers, the youngest started Grade 9 this year. The difference between him and I in terms of social media and technology is so large it blows my mind when I think about it. As discussed in class he has been born into new media without knowing any different. His socialization skills involved technologies in ways that even his toys had screens or different interactive aspects to it. After he posted a picture on Instagram the other day I decided to click his profile and noticed that all but the one picture he posted had been deleted. When I confronted him as to why he would delete the great pictures of our dog, cottage, and whatever else. His response was "Em I'm starting high school now I have to have better pictures". That in itself is how much social media effects someone. Just like Katherine my brother is not only being used by technology but being influenced to confine into appearing a certain way on the 'screen'. Self fulfillment has thus changed from one's hopes and ambitions into individual and collective anxieties with the demanding expectations that new medias present. 

Sources:
Baym, Nancy K. Personal Connections in the Digital Age. Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2010. Pg 24-29.  

Story Jessica Contrera, Jessica Contrera. "This Is What It's like to Grow up in the Age of Likes, Lols and Longing." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 25 May 2016.