“Can We
Auto-correct Humanity” is a video which went viral last year. The video
captures how new technology has had a negative impact upon humans and their social
relations. Individuals self worth is now measured by their success on social
network profiles and intimate conversations have been replaced by instant
messaging. This video embodies the view of technological determinism which is the
belief that new technology acts upon and changes individuals (Baym, 27). Nancy Baym
illustrates the moral panic associated with technological determinism, because
people believe that humans are transfixed and manipulated by new technology
which they have little control over (Baym, 27-29). The prom queen of Instagram
illustrates the concern that social media profiles determine self worth which
was illustrated in the viral video. As stated in the New York magazine article
many people feel as though they personally know Lilli Hymowitz just from
following her on social media, even though they have never met her. This relates to the videos point on how individuals have become more selfish and isolated through their media profiles because they are concerned about gaining more internet followers rather then making true friendships. Similarly, Hymowitz has more followers then friends in real life. Also, there
is a distinction between the prom queen of Instagram who has thousands of
followers and the real Hymowitz, but this distinction is
compromised as individuals begin to believe that a person’s social media profile
is an accurate representation of the person.Individuals self worth and
identity are now determined by their social media profiles and how they are perceived
by their fellow internet user friends.
When I started to read your post I thought of the show catfish and how meeting people online and basing assumptions on these people through what you see on these profiles can be very misleading. These platforms have definitely changed our social habits because now in order to meet someone you do not even have to leave the comfort of your own home. It is scary because you may think you know someone based on what they post online, but this is a filtered version of who they really are. I personally think that in order to meet someone technically it should still be done in real life, because with the internet these days you never know what you are getting yourself into.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I really enjoyed the video you shared for this blog post. I've never seen it before, and I thought that it was really eye-opening to realize how much we "auto-correct" our lives. Individuals can now use technology to construct the online identity that they aspire to be, and hence this has developed an unfortunate self-absorbed society. This video also provides a good demonstration of technological determinism, in the sense that machines change and control today's society. Machines and technology have made individuals selfish by shifting our concern from genuine face-to-face conversations with a friend, to gaining the most followers possible on our social media accounts.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this video before and it is a great demonstration of Baym's discussion of technological determinism. Sometimes we don't realize how much technology really consumes us until we see videos like these that present what encompasses technological determinism in our day and age.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you made the distinction between the way Lilli presents herself online and who she is in real life. I thought this was very important to note because people often forget that the way someone presents themselves online is not always an accurate depiction, as you mentioned.
Great post Michelle.