The Social Shaping of Technology is a perspective that falls between technological determinism and social constructivism, which focuses on the social capabilities that a technology can enable, as well as the unexpected and emergent ways that people can make use of these technologies (Baym 44). This perspective directly relates to the life of Lilli as it is described in the article.
The article suggests that without Instagram, Lilli would be another popular, wealthy, high school girl from New York City. Her careful and strategic use of the photo-sharing social network has allowed her popularity to break through the walls of her high school and create a cloud of Z-List fame. Lilli, and several other teenagers who have built up large social media followings, have seen their personal history greatly altered because of Instagram. Baym quotes Douglas as saying that these technologies "don't make history by themselves," but rather "make different kinds of histories and different kinds of people than others." The article provides us with several examples of how the lives of Lilli and her friends may seem dominated by the app, but also with the several unexpected ways they have used it to alter their actual lives.
Another interesting point made by Baym in his discussion of the Social Shaping of Technology was that technologies have the ability to "accelerate certain trends, magnify cultural weaknesses, and fortify certain structures while eroding others." (44) This statement is absolutely true about a technology such as Instagram, where we can see trends, jokes, stories, and memes rise to popularity and become "uncool" in a matter of days. Stories such as this one about the "Prom Queen of Instagram" can give us an opportunity to analyze these apparent cultural weaknesses. These weaknesses could be the anxieties and insecurities we feel when we worry about likes, comments, proper editing apps and filters, or even the right time of day to share a picture. Instagram is a technology shaped by the constantly evolving relationship between technology and society, where the balance of shaping power is never too firmly on the side of society or technology. I chose to write about this theoretical perspective because I do feel that the Social Shaping of Technology is a solid approach which accurately focuses on both ends of the social/technological relationship.
Andrew Ziedins
Like you, in my blog post I asserted that the power held by new digital technologies, like Instagram, it greatly influenced by how we use them. We follow each other hoping to get followed back, and we like and comment on each others pictures for the same reason. This system of mutually beneficial interactions has shaped the way we view and engage with social media, like Instagram, which ultimately influences how we engage with one another. These technologies lead us to expect and, to a degree, demand reciprocity.
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