This Prom Queen of Instagram story reminded me of an
episode in the television show Awkward. In the episode the main character gets
the opportunity to hang out with the popular girls at her school and she’s
excited since the popular girls are always posting selfies of themselves having
a great time. However, when she does hang out with the popular girls she isn’t having
a good time at all, and when they pose for a selfie to post online, the popular
girls tell everyone to look like they are having a good time. Therefore, what
they post online and the photos they choose represent a different image of
their lives than the actual reality. Instead of living their lives, they are taking
pictures to post to their profile to appeal a certain way to their audience.
This seems to be what Lilli Hymowitz,
the Prom Queen of Instagram is doing. She deleted photos off of her account
since they didn’t represent what she thought of herself anymore and they didn’t
fit with the outward appearance that she wanted her Instagram audience to see.
The theoretical
perspective that I will be using to discuss the Prom Queen of Instagram is the
social shaping of technology. I choose this perspective since it is a mixture
of two other perspectives, technological determinism and the social construction
of technology. Technological determinism is how individuals use the media
platforms and how they can be affected by them. Social construction of
technology is how society influences the development of new technology. Therefore,
the social shaping of technology is that people and technology have the power
to influence the development and the use of the technologies, so technology and
society work together.
In the case of the
Prom Queen of Instagram, the new technologies which allow for social media have
made it possible to post and share with other individuals and have created a
pressure to appear and maintain that appearance online, as shown when Lilli
Hymowitz deletes old photos on instagram since they do not represent the image
of herself that she wants others to see. Also, society created these social
media sites and apps since there was a need. In the case of instagram there was
a need to connect with others from all over the world and share photos.
However, this constant need to present yourself a certain way and you show your
best self online can create an anxiety to live up to other people’s profiles.
As stated in the above example, some people only take certain photos or do
certain activities just to post them online for others to see. Therefore, this
technology has changed the way society interacts; however society influenced
the development and need of this new technology.
Hi Stephanie! I really enjoyed reading your blog post as well as the connection you make to the TV show Awkward. After reading your post, it came to mind how often those circumstances occur in today's day-in-age and the reappearing dichotomy of reality vs. fiction in social interactions, especially in television and pop culture.
ReplyDeleteI also liked that you chose "social construction of technology" as your theoretical argument, as not many people did. I agree with you that society can influence the development of technology however, I also find myself arguing that technology primarily shapes us. If technological advancements weren't made and created, I believe that we as humans would simply find other ways to interact, connect and establish our identities. We do not demand technology as social beings, rather technology demands us. Technology is created, we interact and reform and then become accustomed and engaged.
What do you think?
I enjoyed reading your post a lot, specifically because you compared it to the show Awkward. As well as Christianna, I also thought about how these situations happen in our generation and that the concept of reality vs. fiction not only happens on Instagram, but also television shows. It’s crazy to believe how someone’s online persona can be so different than that of conversing with them in person. In addition, the fact that you chose to compare the Prom Queen of Instagram article to the section “social shaping of technology” also made me enjoy reading your post as majority of the class took a different approach. I highly agree with you stating that technology and society work together, but I do believe this only happens as technology advances. If humans didn’t have all of these means of technology to show our best self off online, than things would be different and we would ultimately find other ways to communicate.
ReplyDeleteReading your blog of how social media sites are created based on social needs made me think about Instagram vs. Snap-chat. Since Instagram posts are permanent, it created a pressure to maintain a perfect reputation on Instagram. I think this pressure inspired the development of Snap-chat where you don’t need to worry much about your online reputation since the pictures will eventually disappear.
ReplyDelete