When Essena O’Neill quit social media, it
seemed the Internet was polarized on whether it was a positive or negative
thing. Questions about the authenticity of what we see on social media, to the
authenticity of Essena, brought into question the very conception of our
culture of connectivity. The life that Essena was projecting onto social media
was constructed in a deliberate manner portraying herself to be a sliver of
what she actually was. The culture of connectivity we experience is argued by
Van Dijck to be caused be “a continuous pressure both from peers and
technologies, to expand through competition and gain power through strategic
alliances” (21).
Jose Van Dijck examines the idea of
neoliberal economic principles and argues that the organization of social
exchange in a culture of connectivity is based on these principles. Based on his argument, it is likely that the
theory by Van Dijck would support Essena O’Neill’s decision to cut her ties with
social media. Essena asserts that her connectivity on social media stemmed from
an ongoing pressure she felt from her peers to achieve power and acceptance on
various technological platforms from YouTube to Instagram. Essena’s choice to quit social media was
based on a reflection of what her younger self valued and noticed that her
constant connectivity was based on a need for acceptance. These sites where
people can constantly compare themselves creates anxiety and stress in some
participants who are more concerned with likes, than enjoying their lives.
Attention is equal to success on these platforms, which proves Dijcks model
that connectivity derives from pressure put on by peers and technology.
Overall social media is a prevailing force
in our society, and its understandable that with a shift in how society
communicates comes both negatives and positives.
Hi Jasmine, I definitely agree with you that Van Dijck's idea that the culture of connectivity is based on "neoliberal economic principles" would support Essena's decision to cut her ties with social media. It's evident that social media today has created a culture where we are continuously being defined by our online presence and popularity. Our power in a culture connected through technology is based on likes, followers and views and in order to get these likes, followers and views we have to edit, tweak and retake pictures until we get the "perfect" shot that is deemed acceptable in social media culture. This is exactly how Essena lived her life in social media stardom until she finally had enough and realized that though she appeared to have a perfect life online, she was truly miserable. I do understand your point that Essena is somewhat contradicting herself, however, I would argue that she is using her power and presence on social media as a force to create awareness around an issue that needs to be addressed in a culture that is distorting our reality and narrowly defining what is acceptable.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about "attention is equal to success" because I think it captures the essence of the culture of connectivity really well. We're all competing for each others attention and, to me, it is interesting that in order to get each other's attention, we have to give our attention to them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your last point too. It seems like people obsess about the negatives and ignore the positive changes that social media and other contemporary communication technologies have afforded us.