“How do the affordances of Instagram affect the way photos and videos are authored, published and distributed in the network?”

 

‘Media and technologies make possible the kind of people that we are, and the kind of societies that we have’ (Siapera 2013, p. 10)

This is the quote which has resonated with me the most this week amongst talk of “New Media” and “Social Media.”

But I can’t quite figure out if I find this to be a depressing or positive thought.

On the one hand, media, and in particular social media, can be a very powerful tool for a range of things such as connectivity, empowerment and even relaxation and enjoyment. It allows us to share, collaborate and participate in our broader community and the global world.

In a sense, it allows people to be whoever they want to be and helps people to shape their views on society, as well as their own general beliefs and values. It is argued that the media plays an important role in explaining the ‘shifts and transformations of human history’ (Siapera 2013, p. 2).

Growing up in the time that I have, I have no doubt that social media has played a part in who I am today, both negatively and positively.

Positively, I actually just enjoy social media. I like scrolling through Instagram and getting messages Facebook. It allows me to connect with people I would not regularly see otherwise and provides me with a space to share my own photos and thoughts. I can watch my little cousins grow up from afar and can laugh at funny meme’s.

 

Negatively, do I spend far too much time on my phone? Yes, without a doubt. And this is definitely an issue which our society as a whole faces.

The argument of “what is so social about social media” is absolutely relevant.

I have also seen how social media can create anxiety and feelings of low self-esteem. We are all guilty of comparing ourselves to that Instagram influencer who has the perfect life with the perfect hair and the perfect skin. But I also know that is goes a lot deeper for some people and can be seriously detrimental to their mental health.

 

 

I think I like Steigler’s argument that on the one hand technology and media are tools in the hands of humans, and on the other hand the media-centric views of humans are determined by technology (Siapera 2013, p. 11). At the same time that we benefit from media and technology, we also have to be very wary of the dangers innate within them.

Reference list:

Siapera, E 2013, Understanding New Media. SAGE Publications, London, UK.