Social Shaping and Social Media

As humans, the idea of social interaction may cause some anxiety. Each person inhabits a certain degree of self-monitoring that influences their social stress when in public or basic interactions. There are basic social cues, and norms people become aware of in the real world to interact appropriately with others. It’s human nature to want to be the best and achieve success. What is different is the ways in which we do so and the ways in which being ‘the best’ can be defined in society and each social group. This can create some anxieties to ensure that you are always meeting that standard for yourself. This article distinguishes the transparency of these social anxieties into the world of social media and online technologies that influence the way we communicate in this form. Everything that one posts are up for friends, family, and sometimes public to analyze, like, comment, etc. causing a form of stress when posting. Each post distinguishes a person and their online profile leaving it up for judgment from others. This is apparent in the article where Kathrine mentions deleting photos if they weren’t the right lighting, or didn’t get enough likes. These unconditional and constant judgments, whether good or bad, can cause teens stress and anxiety driving this technological use into a negative light instead of using it for the purpose it was created, to simply connect with friends and family. 

The article develops insight on how prominent the ‘Screen Age’ is for teens growing up right now. As highlighted in the article, a teens iPhone is the place to where all one's friends are hanging out, therefore a place where they want to be connected at all times. This means posting, commenting, liking, reading, etc. of any other powerful news and social media sights to both influence and distinguish social norms surrounding the use of these apps. With a drive to be the best, we have influenced the use of social media to understand the best as those who get the most likes, most comments, best picture, etc. These are guidelines that we have imposed on the technology that in turn create social anxieties of constantly being connected while also have the best photos and comments. 

The social shaping of technology theorizes that there is not a distinct force driving the shaping but in turn how society responds and influences the use of technologies in ways that enable them to do what they want. As a society, we have shaped the use of these technologies and through social norms surrounding them. Celebrities, news advertising, and famous influencers all have contributed to the ways in which people use these technologies. People are open for stereotyping and judgments just through a basic search of a profile making users wary of what they post to ensure that people see what the user wants them to see. These anxieties have been present in the real world, and also show to be present in the virtual online world of interconnectivity. 

Through understanding the ways in which our parents use social media, it is very different from teens. They are on Facebook and Instagram to connect with their friends and share pictures of what's going on in their lives, whether they are good or bad. It’s not about the likes, but still about commenting, however, the comments are often targeted at the person and trying to catch up. This shows how the older generation’s social norms of in-person connection can be translated into the use of social media, basically using it to get the news of their friends and other following pages. They experience much less stress than us regarding what to post, and who is going to see it. 

The online profiles allow for each person to create a perception of themselves that they want others to engage with. In face-to-face interactions, we follow social norms and cues to ensure the delivery and quality of our conversations and statements which are translated into our online profiles and personas. This online development has caused teens to increase anxieties of what they are both, what it says about them, and how people will respond. It creates a dependence on other society members to boost their confidence and following.