Based on the article, “The Prom Queen of
Instagram”, technological determinism is closely fitted to what this article
entails. In the book, Personal
Connections in the Digital Age, Nancy
Baym discusses technological determinism in terms of how technology can “change
us” the more we use it (27).
When Lilli Hymowitz, who gained her fame
through Instagram, claims that people think that she’s “cooler” than she is in
real life, she is describing her Instagram self as an altered version of
herself, created by herself. It is exactly what Instagram does. Instagram
allows the user to determine what you want to be framed and filter it to your
liking. While we visibly see what Lilli shares and how she portrays what her
lifestyle seems to be like, we still do not know who she is, at the end of the
day. Young people tend to create an online personality that they want to
present. People who are Instagram famous
may often feel pressured to maintain a specific type of persona that attracts
their followers. For instance, Lilli may feel the need to present herself as
“cool [or] tough” rather than what people in real life describes her
as—“sweeter in person”. This comes back
to Baym’s idea of how we think we are using the technology but instead, we may
be “used by it” (29). By creating online personas though social networks such
as Instagram, we may feel that pressure to maintain such role created by
ourselves. It becomes a dangerous when we allow technology to impact our social lives.
Hi Julia!
ReplyDeleteI think you make a really good point in your post about how Lilli describes her Instagram as an altered version of herself. Because you can create an account purely based on photos to show people who you are it is easily to manipulate your true image. With the ability to choose and select what you show people and the use of filters to look a particular way. In real life the interviewer said that Lilli looked liker her age which is sixteen but in her photographs she looks much more mature like she is in her twenties. I think that people think she's interesting because she acts like she doesn't care about anything and has a tough attitude but in real life I highly doubt that she is that careless and apathetic towards things like her education. I agree that when technology has this much power to impact our lives it can be a dangerous tool because it can allow people to not be their true selves which can create an enormous amount of anxiety.
Great post! It is very accurate to say that Instagram allows individuals to create an online personality that they wish to present. Instagram has almost become this imaginary world where users lives seem significantly more interesting on the social media platform than it truly is in reality. In turn, there is a social pressure placed on the users to make their own lives seem more interesting to match the standards created on this social media. This can be detrimental because it can foster a feeling of dissatisfaction in one's life or relationship as they seem to be sub-par in comparison to those "social media celebrities" that we follow.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting how the persona we see on instagram is the basis of comparison to her "real self", and even though she says she's "sweeter in person" shouldn't it be more that "she seems less sweet online" ? I think the first impressions created from instagram are pervasive and problematic.
ReplyDeleteHey Julia! I totally agree with you that technological determinism fits into the article about Lilli. I believe that Lilli probably feels a degree of pressure and anxiety to maintain her image through Instagram because of how "Instagram famous" she has become. I also agree with your statement at the end of your post. Technology can become dangerous the more that we let it into our lives and the more that we allow it to control various parts of our lives, such as our identities.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that Instagram gives people the option of creating different online personalities/appearances for themselves. As you said, people who are "Instagram famous" can feel pressure to target a mass audience who will like their picture, comment and follow them. This can mean that a person could be posting content that they do not agree with or care about at all, but they know their audience will care about, attracting more and more followers. This will lead to a lose of their true self to this new, online personality. Great post, Julia!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Julia. I was recently discussion similar ideas with a colleague. He had brought up the pressure of our alternate selves we present on social media. We were talking about how at times because of the overly happy, positive, or fabulous posts we make on instagram, Facebook, twitter, or other forms of social media, some individuals who develop anxiety, or are struggling with mental health, are not taken seriously by peers. I think you touch on some key points in your post when we look at alternative selves. The question becomes, are we building up this image of ourselves that we will never be able to live up to?
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