"Personal Connections in the Digital Age" : Chapter Two [Post #2]

Right from the beginning of Chapter Two: "Making New Media Make Sense", Baym addresses the fears that many of us have surrounding social media, as well as several dangers of social media that have given reason for this concern.

I've probably heard it from my mom the most: "you can't convey tone through texting!", and that's true. A lot is left unsaid through a quick written message. We have no body language, facial expressions, or vocal tone to work with. And with that,  ample opportunity is left for misunderstanding and misinterpretation. I'm guessing that we've all been there, on one end of it or the other. We've all wondered about someone's cryptic "K". We've all wondered if maybe we should have added a quick "lol" at the end of that subtly snarky message to lighten things up a bit. That's because we all know how much is left to the imagination in these situations, and we try to make up for that in the ways that social media has taught us to.

And if we're not careful, there are consequences. We accidentally send someone a message intended for someone else, a photo they weren't meant to see, or a rant that should have never been put into writing. We publish what should have never been published. We allow ourselves to be tricked by the mask that social media can provide. We form impressions of people in our minds before we really know them. Or maybe, as Nick Carr wrote in his 2008 essay, we let these devices, networks, apps and sites "[make] us stupid", changing the way we see ourselves and others.

All this being said, it's important as media consumers that we learn to "make sense" of new media, as Baym argues throughout the chapter. The more we educate ourselves about the specific media, its potential consequences, and its possible effects on us, the better chance we have of fully understanding it and using it in a smart way.

"Personal Connections in the Digital Age" : Chapter One [Post #1]

I like how this chapter points out both the major pros and the serious cons to being involved on social media, discussing how while we seem to be "connecting", we're simultaneously disconnecting. Nowadays especially, this issue revolves mainly around our smart phones. We're putting ourselves and our creation out there for our online "friends" to experience, but at what cost to the friends there with us in person?

This is an important question to ask of ourselves and of others. How many of us put our smart phones away when we get together with a friend? When we're at the dinner table? When we're having a conversation? For most of us, that's probably a difficult question to ask, because deep down, we know that we probably spend a little too much time on those devices than we should. But how much is too much? At what point does editing that Instagram photo become a genuine distraction from the life going on around us?

I've personally witnessed both ends of the spectrum: people that can't seem to keep their phones down, insisting that whatever they're doing is necessary and urgent, and people who take a passing glance at their phones whenever they happen to think of it. Both can be annoying in their own ways. At what point do we become obsessive? At what point do we become negligent to those who may be trying to connect with us? There has to be a way that we can use our smart phones and/or engage in social media in moderation. But what would that look like?

I'm looking forward to delving into the different ways that social media have changed human relationships, improved them and posed challenges to them through the rest of "Personal Connections in the Digital Age", and hopefully coming closer to answering that question.