Chapter Two: Nancy Baym's Personal Connections in the Digital Age

Earlier in the week we read 2 chapters from The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage titled "Love over the Wires"and "War and Peace in the Global Village." These chapters were very insightful about how the telegraph changed the way people were able to communicate, do business, spread news, and even get married. Yes you read that right- people tied the knot via telegraph back in the day! I love a good love story so I obviously loved reading this chapter, but what really struck me was how Standage noted that while the invention of the telegraph scared the press industry, it changed the industry rather than destroyed it. The world was able to adapt to this new technology and allow it to forever change the way news was delivered. The telegraph, like new media today, was able to collapse time and space.

Chapter 2 in Nancy Baym's Personal Connections in the Digital Age describes the 4 theoretical frameworks that new technology goes through upon entering the mainstream. The first being technological determinism, stating that technology changes everything, which is why people are skeptical of it at first. This is followed by the social construction of technology, that humans are able to change technology so that it betters their lives and use of the technology. Then the social shape of technology, meaning that problems may arise with the new technology in society, but society will find a way to change the technology and adapt to these changes. This is a mix between the first 2 stages before the 4th and final stage, domestication, or normalization, of technology. Eventually we will not be able to imagine our lives without this new technology in it, and not owning it becomes the problem.

While a new technology may seem scary, it is important to remember these processes, and realize that we can change and adapt these technologies and eventually these technologies will change and adapt our lives, like they have all along.

Chapter One: Nancy Baym's Personal Connections in the Digital Age

As a media studies student I feel as though I am constantly learning about the negative effects of new media technologies. What I appreciated was how Nancy Baym played both sides of the story discussing both the positives and the negatives of the rapidly large place media and technology has claimed in our lives. Baym notes that media is changing our interactions with each other and ourselves.

Baym mentions the way in which media has influenced what is "real" or "IRL (in real life)." There seems to be a blur between what is virtual, digital, and simply real life. This ties in hand with one of the seven key concepts the chapter outlines; Interactivity, Temporal Structure, Social Cues, Storage, Replicability, Reach, and Mobility. Temporal structure is made up of both synchronous- direct, immediate, and asynchronous- thought out, mediated, communication. Through the use of these new media technologies we have the ability to think before posting, and in doing so display ourselves in a certain light that may not be our "real" self as opposed to more "traditional" forms of face to face immediate, synchronous, communication.

What resonated with me the most was the idea of "self-branding" within our social media presence. While this type of media provides us with instant gratification, friends "liking" a post or photo, it also allows us the ability to filter what we post on these sites. The idea of being in the "public" on these social media sites, but self-branding your profiles is important for success in a future career, something that people my age need to keep in mind having such widespread media presences.

While ultimately we adapt to these new media forms- especially those in my generation, keeping this in mind will help to not blur lines between the real and the virtual.