Blog Post 2- The Prom Queen of Instagram

According to Nancy Baym with in her book Personal Connections in the Digital Age, Technological Determinism refers to how machines change us (27). Using the framework of Marshall McLuhan, Baym writes how the technologies have characteristics that are transferred to those who use them. A technology enters a society from outside and impacts social life (29) and the more you use this technology and the more you get to know it, the more the technology is using you. The idea of technological determinism stresses that to fit in; you must be a part of these ideologies and use platforms like Instagram. Almost every teenager or young adult is using social media platforms that portray the most glamorous and idealistic parts of their lives. The more and more we use these types of sites, the more realistic and influential it becomes to us.

The reason why I decided to pick the theory of technological determinism is because I think it captures exactly what Instagram, in the case of the article The Prom Queen of Instagram, reflects on Hymowitz. This girl employs media who’s inherent characteristics are congruent with task demands (29). For Lilli Hymowitz, she clearly had a passion to be known outside the walls of her high school or social group and this technology did exactly that for her. Hymowitz uses Instagram to not only shape her life, but others through her popularity and following. Through one platform and technology she is able to explore a whole new social world that would not exists with out Instagram.

Lilli Hymowitz has a large following and is even titled the Instagram Queen but with this title not only is she embodying popularity but anxiety because the spot light she has on her. The image that she presents herself as online is why she is respected, from the parties she attends, to the stars she meets. Her glamorous, beautiful life has a reputation that she needs to sustain and constantly ‘one-up’. The social anxiety revolves around choosing the correct pictures that will get the most likes, not what may actually be important in her life.  It’s all about a persona, like Hymowitz says, “I think people think I’m cooler than I am” or “This is what 16 looks like in New York now”. Instagram only reflects the most ideal moments of any person’s life by being able to edit and put a filter on anything to perfect it. Consequently, it’s really hard to tell what’s real and what’s fake anymore.