Blog Post #2

 Baym's discussion of technological determinism describes "technology as an external agent that acts upon and changes society".  This in turn means that people view social media as casual agents that change humans who do not resist the media. We abuse social media in this way, as Nick Carr explains that "Google is making us stupid" in his Atlantic essay (Baym, 27). Connecting this to the film "Eighth Grade", social media plays a primary role in shaping Kayla's life and her anxiety toward the world by the immense scrolling she does on her platforms. Kayla's own self image and perception is altered by social media, as she acts like a confident individual online when filming her videos but struggles with social anxiety in person. This duality shows the means in which teenage individuals in particular deal with the pressure to conform to online trends that have been created due to the new digital media that exists. Kayla's constant need to be on social media at all times feeds into this anxiety of not being as pretty, popular or outgoing as the individuals she see's online, which connects with Baym's technological determinism and the constant need to be scrolling. Technology is shaping the younger generation which is difficult for Kayla's father to grasp as she becomes so involved with the online world that she becomes disconnected with her own father. In summary, Kayla's constant anxiety to be as perfect as the people she see's on social media makes her dependent on social media for gratification and she becomes reliant on being on her phone in order to attempt to reach her goals of being just like the girls she sees at school. This correlates with Baym's definition of technological determinism as technology has influenced her identity and social dynamics largely. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Blog Post #1

Blog Post #2 - Colin McKay

Blog post 1- Cole Culina