Week 1: Media Ecologies
This week, I chose to share an article about how the overwhelming use of media has created the idea of media ecologies and the notion that a person's online self and real life self can be so drastically different, even if both "lives" are coordinated by the same person. The article I chose is from the Huffington Post and is written by R. Kay Green. You can read the full article here.
This article, in summary, references the all too real practice of creating an ideal self to promote on social media platforms, which are prevalent among people of all ages. When posting to social media, this generation aims to portray their life as one of a celebrity, by boasting life successes, sharing photos of extravagant trips and vacations, and posting endless unrealistically filtered "selfies" that make people look like supermodels. This online life does not reflect the true identity of the person, which may in reality include the extra 5 cups of coffee needed to stay awake to complete that final college paper, the heavy workload taken on in order to be able to afford those expensive vacations, and the true face behind those selfies, which really has dark circles and sports second-day makeup. All of these real life experiences that form us are not seen by the online world because we as a generation have deemed it necessary to live up to the hype of high-class America and pretend that we are perfect individuals, even though none of us are.
I find this article interesting because I am most definitely guilty of only posting about the best version of me. Who would want to see unflattering pictures of me or posts about my life in school or at work? We post what we think others want to see, and this goes back to the lifelong struggle to want to be accepted by everyone.
This feeling of acceptance targets younger and younger children faster than ever. I currently teach in a preschool classroom and even at age four they are constantly trying to prove themselves to their peers, and I feel that the increase in social and interactive media is heightening this matter and making it so much worse. I cringe when I receive a friend or follow request from a student from my school, not only because I can see the types of things they are posting (most of which are copied from what they see their favorite celebrities post) but also I think about the content they are exposed to. There are numerous public social media accounts that these young students can follow and the content that then comes across their view as they scroll is horrific, especially for an elementary aged child.
This idea of a real-life self and an online self is all too true, but I also do not see a way to improve it. People are always going to post their ideal self online because they want to be accepted by those who will see it. They will see people online that portray what they wish to be like and will mimic them, hoping in some way to become that person. If only they knew that the world doesn't work that way...
References
Green, R. K. (2013, August 7). The Social Media Effect: Are You Really Who Your Portray Online? Huffington Post. Retrieved May 10, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/r-kay-green/the-social-media-effect-a_b_3721029.html
This article, in summary, references the all too real practice of creating an ideal self to promote on social media platforms, which are prevalent among people of all ages. When posting to social media, this generation aims to portray their life as one of a celebrity, by boasting life successes, sharing photos of extravagant trips and vacations, and posting endless unrealistically filtered "selfies" that make people look like supermodels. This online life does not reflect the true identity of the person, which may in reality include the extra 5 cups of coffee needed to stay awake to complete that final college paper, the heavy workload taken on in order to be able to afford those expensive vacations, and the true face behind those selfies, which really has dark circles and sports second-day makeup. All of these real life experiences that form us are not seen by the online world because we as a generation have deemed it necessary to live up to the hype of high-class America and pretend that we are perfect individuals, even though none of us are.
I find this article interesting because I am most definitely guilty of only posting about the best version of me. Who would want to see unflattering pictures of me or posts about my life in school or at work? We post what we think others want to see, and this goes back to the lifelong struggle to want to be accepted by everyone.
This feeling of acceptance targets younger and younger children faster than ever. I currently teach in a preschool classroom and even at age four they are constantly trying to prove themselves to their peers, and I feel that the increase in social and interactive media is heightening this matter and making it so much worse. I cringe when I receive a friend or follow request from a student from my school, not only because I can see the types of things they are posting (most of which are copied from what they see their favorite celebrities post) but also I think about the content they are exposed to. There are numerous public social media accounts that these young students can follow and the content that then comes across their view as they scroll is horrific, especially for an elementary aged child.
This idea of a real-life self and an online self is all too true, but I also do not see a way to improve it. People are always going to post their ideal self online because they want to be accepted by those who will see it. They will see people online that portray what they wish to be like and will mimic them, hoping in some way to become that person. If only they knew that the world doesn't work that way...
References
Green, R. K. (2013, August 7). The Social Media Effect: Are You Really Who Your Portray Online? Huffington Post. Retrieved May 10, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/r-kay-green/the-social-media-effect-a_b_3721029.html
Comments
Post a Comment