Blog Post #2 - Colin McKay
In the movie Eighth grade it follows a young girl by the name of Kayla who is having a hard time not only fitting in with her peers at school, but also has trouble fitting in online as well. Kayla demonstrates a high degree of social anxiety, and it is very evident she just wants people to like her. Kayla, with limited people to talk too and virtually no friends, leans on creating YouTube videos in order to connect with others. Kayla's videos consist of her providing advice to her viewers, such as how to always be confident, and tips on how to socialize to others, things that she has no real experience in. These videos give Kayla a way to connect to not only her peers but other people around the world, and also give her something to feel good about as she's helping others. Kayla also adds to her anxiety by constantly scrolling though social media, and ignoring things such as her father trying to talk to her. Scrolling through social media has Kayla comparing herself to her fellow schoolmates, and puts her self down in the mean time as she thinks her classmates have no flaws. Kayla is heavily affected by Technological determinism, allowing technology to shape the way in which she lives, acts, and thinks. This is being done through the videos in which Kayla watches, the people she follows, and the ways she interacts with her technology and media.
Great post Colin ! I too chose to make my post Eighth grade. Kayla struggles to fit in as you mentioned, and to my knowledge this is likely similar to the difficulties that a lot of kids and young adults face within this digital age. her reliance on her online personal to connect with others, seeking validation and friendship online while dealing with social anxiety offline. overall, the movie depicts the impact of technological determinism on kayla's perceptions, interactions and self esteem. I guess my question for you is, have you ever felt the pressures and or anxieties that kalya exhibitted? If not, do you think there's a reason for that?
ReplyDeleteHi Kali, thanks for the response! I can for sure relate to Kayla, and her experience's being online and living in the world of the digital age. For starters, I'm a big YouTube watcher, which is now filled with people aging from 18-30 who are all beyond rich, living crazy lives, seemingly stress free. This is something that causes me much anxiety and fear as with all the stress I go through paying for school, and being a student. Being on media virtually everyday has forced me to view the unrealistic bodies and lifestyles that produce negativity into ones life.
ReplyDeleteHi Colin, very compelling post. I totally agree that technological determinism plays a key role in Kayla's anxieties as it is controlling and shaping the way she lives, acts, and reacts to things in her life. It makes us reflect back to our own lives and causes us to analyze how we are similarly affected by the ongoing evolution of social media. We tend to forget how fortunate and gret our lives are when we see something 'better' on social media, but there will always be something displayed " better" on the internet. As we can see in the movie and in our real lives, social media like instagram is like a silent competition of who can look like they have the best, most glamorous life.
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