Blog Post #2: The Prom Queen of Instagram

As described by Nancy Baym, technological determinism refers to how machines change us. Technologies have characteristics that are transferred to those who use then (Baym, 28). As a result, the more you use them, the more they use you, and therefore the more they influence you (29). In the case of New York Magazine's "The Prom Queen of Instagram", technological determinism has influenced not only the 'prom queen' Lilli Hymowitz, but also those participating in her Instagram feed. I chose to focus on technological determinism because it outlines the ideologies that apps like Instagram utilize for the purpose of gaining public recognition.

For Hymowitz, Instagram has allowed her to portray the most favourable portions of her life. Much like adding a filter to a picture, Hymowitz shares only the photos that she believes will gain her followers and likes. In the "Prom Queen" article one student was quoted as saying "I guess you could say I know a lot about her from Instagram. I don't really know her." For Hymowitz and those consuming her Instagram feed, technological determinism has transformed how we share and interact with photos. It is in this way that technological determinism functions throughout the article. Instagram has changed the way that we previously understand sharing photos, and has influenced us in such a way that we no longer care about capturing the moment, but focus more on how the photo will be received by our followers. For example, an Instagram feed consisting of pictures of one's family will most likely have less followers and therefore receive more likes than a feed that displays wealth and material goods. The social anxiety associated with these practices are that one must only post what will be positively received by others. It is through this ideology that Instagram has taught us what to post, how to post, and the purpose for posting pictures onto the app. It is also through this ideology set forth by Instagram that Hymowitz has found success; posting only the photos that reflect her life in a positive light to others, and has gained immense public recognition because of it.