Blog Post #2 - Prom Queen of Instagram

 “The more you use them, the more they use you, and the more you are influenced by them” (Bayam, 29).

This quote taken from Nancy Bayam’s Personal Connections in the Digital Age highlights the increasing interactivity of new technological forces by determining them as causal agents that shape and change societies. Bayam’s theoretical perspective on technological determinism focuses on the idea that “machines change us” (Bayam, 27). This perspective really demonstrates how technology changes the values and characteristics of a society by implementing new technological force that affect our every day lives. We can see this throughout many periods in history such as in Ancient Greece where Socrates criticized the invention of the alphabet and writing as a threat to oral society. Technological determinism is not a new concept, but it is very applicable to the increase in technological dependence in today’s society. New social media and digital platforms are constantly being invented in a way that repetitively alters the ways in which society develop.

Instagram is a perfect example of a new technological platform that has changed the way in which individuals view themselves within society. In the article “The Prom Queen of Instagram” we see the way in which a simple app to post photos can determine ones values within society. Lilli Hymowitz’s popularity on Instagram characterises the ways in which many teenagers rely on online interaction to determine their popularity or position within society. With new ways to alter photos and edit posts, it is clear that there is a sense of self-fabrication online that affects the ways in which society interacts. In class, we saw how the increasing interactivity of the Internet has changed the way relationships operate by watching the film Noah. The film Noah corresponds to the ideas presented in the article “The Prom Queen of Instagram” as it incorporates the new ways in which teenagers interact online and the impact it has on real life scenarios.

“The self-definition and posturing, the longing and experimentation — now happens online, such that the pursuit of friends and status and popularity no longer stops at the cafeteria door” this quote taken from the article demonstrates the new era of popularity, one that goes beyond face to face interaction. When we were in high school, Instagram had not yet become popularized, leaving all social popularity ranking to real life interactions. In the article, it notes that Hymowitz is considered the most popular out of her friend group as she has the most instagram followers, ten years ago, people would not be able to comprehend the idea that an online photo sharing app has the ability to affect ones personal life so immensely.

I chose to focus on the technological determinism perspective as I find it very interesting to see the ways in which society is affected by new innovations. It is especially interesting in today’s society as we are currently experiencing a massive change in the way we communicate and participate in society.