This week was the presentation on Facebook and studying Digital Media in the 21st century. Facebook has certainly changed how people meet other people, how people keep in touch, and the increased dangers of online predators and strangers out to harm. I have a Facebook, but I am definitely not on it all the time or even every day like a lot of my friends. For me it has really lost its novelty and I am just not comfortable with the constant back and forth of chatting and messaging and event invites. It all makes me really anxious and so I am just not on it every second of every day. Now I really only use it to upload pictures of trips with my family and finding out birthdays.
I really enjoyed how the group incorporated the Modern and Postmodern aspects of Facebook. It is very much a reflexive media; people are able to update every second of their lives, change activities on a moments notice, and receive instant feedback from their friends an family. People can create events for parties or graduations and change the time and dress code anytime without having to call everyone. people are able to behave and act in a certain way or project certain qualities about themselves that they want others to view them as, which may not be truthful to how they are in real life. They are able to hold multiple identities depending on how they want to be seen that day. Facebook also allows those who may be too shy or reserved to speak out about something to have a place to voice their problems or concerns and have their voices heard. Whether it be on their own page or a fan page of something they are passionate about, they are able to let out their desires to the world and not feel so constricted or silenced.
I liked how the group talked about the fragmentary aspect of Facebook, how it unites people but always deals in fragments of information. I liked how they brought up the 4 institutions of Modernity: industrialism, capitalism, military power, and surveillance. I also enjoyed how they involved the Market Research aspect, how Facebook can be used to get opinions and sales choices from average people and they can use that information to predict or change products and services. I liked their use of theorists like Saussure and the notion of signs and the signifier and signified. Derrida's idea of deconstruction and the "liking" of someone's bad day meaning getting enjoyment or merely understanding of someone's pain. There is also the prevalence of "indirect statuses" that people post where it is kind of a mystery what they are referring to. Foucault's Discourse and the history/timeline that Facebook allows people to advertise. Common interests come into play on Facebook, with people able to connect with people who have their same hobbies. Lacan's Psychoanalysis of the unconscious and the need for an ego-boost of some people, the need of validation for their lives. They want to show off how great their lives are to feel better about themselves. I also found it interesting how they incorporated Marxism and the concept of social classes in Facebook. The internet should be able to take away the social classes of people and make everyone equal, but Facebook still lets people make their wealth known by posting pictures of their new car or house, so there is really no escaping the hierarchy of class.
No comments:
Post a Comment