Lievrouw's discussion on materiality in communication
studies touches upon technological momentum. The article states that "[o]nce technological systems
become stabilized and acquire momentum, the artifacts generated by and enmeshed
in those systems can exert influence, just as social action influences them”
(Lievrouw 29).
Snapchat
is a great example of this, especially with its new updates. Over the past few
years, Snapchat has become such a popular app, with its choice of both
flattering and funny filters. Recently, Snapchat updated its privacy settings when
introducing the Memories feature so that it can access photos from the camera
roll of users. Photos taken without Snapchat can now be accessed using the app,
for our own sharing on Memories but can also be considered the property of
Snapchat. While this would usually be considered an invasion of privacy,
Snapchat is such a popular app with such a wide user base that people are willing
to overlook these changes. If Snapchat initially started out asking for access
to the camera roll, many users would turn away from it, but since it has gained
so much momentum, it is influencing our comfort levels when it comes to our
privacy.
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-use-snapchat-memories/
In regards to technological momentum I have made the connection to Thomas Streeters’ chapter in “Self-Motivating Exhilaration”. He discusses the technological momentum of computer communication as an expression of the times. In accordance to Lievrouw, I think that any piece of technologies momentum can also be a reflection of their times. Streeter claims, “for a technology to be integrated into society, however, especially when much of its activity is invisible, it has to be given meaning that can relate it to dominant social value, to everyday life, and to bodily experiences” (18). Streeter is arguing that certain social values and processes exert influence on the technologies. Now, with your example of Snapchat one can see how its growing popularity has resulted the new changes and modifications of the application. Social media applications such as Snapchat now asks us if it can have access to or photos or location services. Users almost instantaneously hit “yes” in order to use social media applications to the greatest extent and do not understand the repercussions of their actions. Just as Streeter mentions, certain social values exert our influences on technologies. I think our social values in accordance to privacy have been obstructed and in turn, contributes to the momentum of technology.
ReplyDeleteI personally stopped using Snapchat because of the access to memory photos. It is interesting how social media networks are starting to cater to our need for privacy. More specifically, in that our smart phones are allowing us to enable or disable access if we as users please. I have a concept addressed by Castells in which he addresses how we are in a networked society. By networks he means a collection of ideologies and beliefs that make a society both physically and communicative with each other. How it is relevant here is that the ideas of users collectively, in particular with privacy, overtime can influence individuals perception of security. Overall, I find that those who are socially willing to accept having their phone exposed and able to be easily spied on intriguing, as it is important to be mindful of what information social media companies can gather on us and how they ultimately will cater advertisements based on our interests and content we as users like.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Snapchat has come a long way in and has gained technological momentum. I remember when it first came out, not everyone had it, especially since not all phones could download the app. However, with how explosive and popular the app has become, people are willing to let the company invade their privacy in order to become part of the hegemonic norm. It seems sort of like an albeit illusion of societal control. People paid the price of their privacy in order to conform to societal hegemony. I don't think that this was an autonomous technology as it was created for the reason that no other app had been created similar. People are always scared that people will save or screen shot their photos, so why not create an app that will tell one when their few second photo is screen shotted or not? With how popular it has become, I think that it has taken a materialistic turn as now once people buy a smart phone, it is one of the first apps they download.
ReplyDeleteI think Snapchat is a great example in relation to the concept of technological momentum. The app has a great deal of influence on us, because as sad as it sounds I think a lot of people have come to revolve their lives around the app. When something interesting is happening, one of the first things people often say is "hold on, I need to snap this." Snapchat has come a long way from when it was first developed and has come up with new features that encourage and further the momentum of it. For instance, the recent addition of a "snapstreak" facilitates the continued use of the app, as it keeps tab of how many consecutive days a user has been snapping someone. Since some people become so committed in their streaks with people, they do not want to break it and make an effort to maintain it. In terms of the new "memories" function and its influence on our comfort levels of privacy, I think the development of social media and apps have caused people to overlook the important issue of privacy. Now without even thinking twice about it, users will automatically click "allow" when asked to access their location or camera roll. On the other hand, I feel as though Snapchat has gained so much momentum because it creates a false idea of privacy. For example, when engaging in conversations on Snapchat, both in photo form and regular chat (text) form, there is no trace of the conversation (as far as we can see), since the chat logs will disappear once we read and exit out of it. As a result, it appears as though our conversation history is gone forever when in actuality it is not. I think this aspect of Snapchat has really contributed to its ability to maintain and gain so much momentum within the app world.
ReplyDelete