Blog Post 2: Crystal Xue
From the domestication of technology perspective, Kayla’s experience in the film Eighth Grade shows the anxiety about the interactivity of new digital media. The portion of the film that we watched in class demonstrates how “new technologies move from being fringe (wild) objects to everyday (tame) objects embedded deeply in the practices of daily life” (Baym, 28). For example, the scene in which Kayla is on her phone at the dinner table with her dad illustrates the extent of new technology’s presence in daily life. During an activity as standard and personal as a family dinner, Kayla is engrossed by the world inside her phone. This reflects how for many users, “life without [new technologies] can become unimaginable” (Baym, 28). Another scene that shows this is when Kayla tries to converse with the popular girls and they are glued to their phones. This is an example of how technology is commonly used as a crutch in social situations where people wish to avoid others. Without the availability of this technology, people are left unsure of how to cope with unideal interactions. Upon watching the film and studying the reading, I was reminded of the central role that technology plays in my own life. How does your usage of modern technology differ when you are in an enjoyable situation versus when you are stuck in unfavourable circumstances?
Hi crystal, great post! The quote you used about how technologies move from being fringe to everyday objects embedded deeply in the practices of daily life, is perfect for you demonstation of Kayla in Eigth Grade and the domestication of technology. I think for the most part many of us reach to our phones when in doubt of how to act in a given context, such as waiting in line, avoiding someone, or when everyone else around you is doing it. I had a friend recently who had her phone die at a concert and she said she didnt care as much until she was in the car on the way home with everyone and they were all sitting in silence on their phones, and then she was annoyed. I think her situation reflects the dependency we have on our cell phones to feel included and keep ourselves free from awkward silences or boredom.
ReplyDeleteHey Crystal,
ReplyDeleteYour post brought up an interesting perspective on the domestication of technology qua Eighth Grade. I was considering writing my own post on the same topic, but there was a detail which made me second-guess this approach. At the beginning of Baym's discussion of the domestication of technology on page 52 (I think, the page number is difficult to make out!), she writes "the fact that we no longer engage in either the utopian or dystopian discourses... is evidence of how earlier technologies have been domesticated." This quote comes right before the one you used, but seems to me to point in the opposite direction. What I mean is that when technologies are domesticated, their use becomes completely invisible and naturalized (like how we don't even think about our electricity use until the power goes out). Kayla's use of her phone at the dinner table and of the mean girls' use of their phones as Kayla tries to talk to them gives me a distinctly different vibe: in these scenes, the girls' use of their phones is very conspicuous. Indeed, it seems that both scenes even revolve around the obviousness of their cell phone use. Additionally, as Kayla's father tries to get her to put her phone down at the table, he seems to be envisioning a utopian ideal in which Kayla does not use her phone. Since phone use in this case is subject to critical evaluation, and the judgement that it 'could have been otherwise', I'm not sure if I could conclude that Eighth Grade really purports to show a domestication of tech view qua cellphones.
Hi Crystal
ReplyDeleteI really liked the question that you brought up at the end of your post, I defintly find myslef to be on technology when I find myslef in a non-favourable postion as it is almost an escape from a setting that I don't like or am not comfortable in. Whereas if I am in a seeting or place I wnat to be in I will not be on technology a lot as I am enjoying myself and interacting way more with the people around me. You make great conncetions to the movie and your refrence to when Kayla is on her phone at the dinner table and when the popular girls are on there phone as well. Great connections and great overall post.
Hi Crystal,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I blogged about the same things and I felt it was fitting to comment on your post as we had very similar ideas and examples. You are so right, that the domestication of technology has created some sort of embedded practices that seem normal to us. The dinner table example really opened my eyes to how the use of tech has turned to subtracting and taking away time from real life experiences that we absolutely should be having. Especially at Kaylas age, we should be growing up having experiences that challenge us to socialize, problem solve, and listen to others. As much as technology provides us with plenty of shortcuts, dopamine hits, and opportunities, these challenges mentioned can be avoiding, causing long term anxieties.