New Media - Model Answer

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Q-The new media are changing social identities and interpersonal relationships.


Evaluate this view. [35]

The new media has led to a growth in hyper-connectivity, that is, the ability to be
digitally connected to other individuals across a wide range of platforms. People are
interconnected on a constant basis regardless of their geographical location,time zones or
cultural backgrounds. This brings into question the impact of new media on the social
identities and interpersonal relationships of the users.

One way of measuring this effect is through social identity in terms of group membership
This involves the way people see themselves and others. As groups differ in their social
status, people may be looked up to or looked down upon depending on the social group
or network that they belong to. Furthermore, an individual’s self esteem may get affected
in terms of their self-identification with regards to the group that they belong to. For
example, someone with a physical impairment may not identify themselves as disabled or
someone who is attracted to the same sex may not see themselves as gay especially if
they believe that being affiliated with these groups would stigmatise them.

According to a government commissioned report on changing technology and its impact


on identities in the U.K, published in 2013, 60 percent of internet users in the UK were
members of one or more social networking site. Hence, with more citizens virtually
connected and posting information about themselves on social media, the idea was that
the distinction between people’s private and public identities is becoming blurred. The
report also highlighted the concept that each individual potentially has multiple social
identities that can be channelised depending on the need of the social context.

The digital optimist perspective looks at the digital revolution as an opportunity for
individuals to explore the range of potential identities and therefore aligns with the
postmodernist approach, emphasizing upon greater variability and flexibility in social
identities. Postmodernists suggest that identities have become open to change and people
can contruct new identities for themselves using the freedom and choice given to them by
new media.

Thusha Rajendra (2018) refers to the opportunities provided by virtual worlds such as
Second Life or video games such as World of Warcraft where people ‘can take on
different identities and imagine a completely new existence for themselves’.
Rajendran argues that for people who are transgenders or gender fluid, who feel
constrained by the binary notions of sex, being on the internet can have a liberating
effect. Similiarly individuals who live in parts of society where homosexuality is
stigmatized or illegal, they can escape from the homophobia on online platforms and
groups providing support to them. According to Rajendran (2018) individuals can use the
internet and digital platforms to explore new worlds and decide exactly who they want to
be.

Digital optimists also argue that the digital revolution has led to an increase in social
networking and potential fields of relationships for people. Fulvio Castellscci (quoted in
Holsten 2018) argues that social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram can
positively effect ones social life. It can help to keep track of existing friends and
acquaintances and develop new realtionships with people regardless of geographical
distances. For instance, migrant communities find it much easier to keep in touch with
family members back home using social media. Furthermore, online dating using apps
like Tinder has increased the range of potential partners for people.

Contrary to the aforementioned arguments, the digital pessimists view the digital
revolution as an opportunity for people to misrepresent their identities. One example of
this would be the anonymity of the internet which has allowed paedophiles to pretend to
be children and engage in online grooming. Another issue highlighted is the idealised
portrayal of people’s lives on social platforms, leading to envy, low self esteem and
mental health issues in people who consider them to be an accurate depiction of people’s
lives.

Digital pessimists also share a concern that when people devote so much time to online
platforms, they neglect their offline relationships.The need to check for comments or like
on Facebook posts, for examples become an addiction. This also brings into attention the
question that many hundreds of followers on Facebook or Twitter do not become a
substitute for genuine friends and relationships in real life. This may take away from real
life interaction, with people losing the ability to communicate in the real world and
spending less quality time with family and friends.

Pessimists also question the extent to which people will come into contact with new ideas
and become more tolerant. It is more likely, they say, that online networks and
communities will be of like minded people who may reinforce each other’s intolerance
including extreme political, religious or racist perspectives. Pessimists highlight the
negative aspects of digital platforms, such as cyber bullying or children by their peers or
the misogynistic abuse of women who challenge patriarchal norms and values, publically.
Moreover, trolling,abuse and death threats are also patterns of negative behaviour
observed in online communities.

Sittichai and Smith (2015) suggest that cases of cyber bullying are greater in societies
with a high level of digital penetraton.This is because users of digitial platforms can hide
their faces and identity.

When it comes to social identity, individuals can use online ‘virtual’ identities to engage
in what Erving Goffman refered to as ‘presentation of the self’ or impression
management. However the extend to which it is beneficial is debatable. This is because
social identities are, to a great degree, not chosen in isolation, but imposed upon
individuals by others. For example, a person belonging to an ethnic minority group can
choose who they want to be online, but in their everyday life may still be a target of
racist abuse.

The vast amount of information available to people can include helpful material as well
as harmful content. For example, young women and men concerned about their body
image may be encouraged to induldge in anorexic/bulimic practices.

Identities can also be manipulated online. For example, Shamender Talwar (quoted in
Guardian 2015), discusses how the IS has attempted to radicalise Muslim youth in Britain
by implying that they cannot be both Muslim and British.

A large scale social survey carried out with nearly 6000 adolescents in Hungary (Banyai
et al. 2017),suggests that 4.5 percent of adolescents belonged to ‘at-risk’ group. They
reported low self esteem, symptoms of depression and elevated social media use. These
were mostly female with over 30 hours per week spent on the internet on social media
platforms.

According to Alex Hern (2018) the risk of social media addiction is an issue ignored
consciously by designers of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, to ensure
maximum engagement.The users therefore get caught in a social-validation feedback
loop and these corporations exploit the vulnerabililties of the users.

Furthermore, there is also concern about powerful corporations like Facebook, which
dominate the market and are able to collect huge amount of information about its
users.One view of social networking is that it is less about connecting people than about
advertisers being able to target customers more effectively.
The digital revolution has the potential to transform identities, both for good and bad.
Digital media offer opportunities to people to form new social identities, but offline
identities continue to restrict people’s lives. Moreover, digital media can be used as an
avenue to establish new social relationships or spread hate and negativity. Hence whether
the long term effects of new media are mostly positive or negative is a statement open to
interpretation at this point in time.

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