Introduction
Social media can be viewed as one of the most powerful tools of the modern world. The spread of the Internet and technologies contributed to the fast rise of this unique phenomenon, and it’s becoming a leading force influencing people’s behaviors, communication, and interaction patterns. The article “How social media shapes our identity” by Nausicaa Renner also revolves around social media and the effect it has on individuals today. The author outlines numerous changes which happened due to the omnipresent nature of this tool and the many opportunities associated with it. Renner touches on the spheres of communication, language, listening, and our identity, which promotes a better vision of the role this technology plays in our lives.
Summary
The selected article focuses on describing how social media shapes people and their world. The author emphasizes that one of the most visible alterations can be seen in the sphere of communication and interaction between people (Renner, 2019). The new opportunities resulted in the involvement of a bigger number of people in global intercourse. At the same time, the availability of personal information from various periods of people’s lives contributed to the establishment of new identities influenced by images from social media and people’s responses to them. However, Renner concludes by emphasizing a certain risk linked to the dominance of media as it might also result in forming false images.
Thesis
In such a way, the article touches upon the relevant issue as the author delves into the areas critical for people. Discussing the effects social media has on people today, Renner (2019) links them to communication, language, listening, self, and culture. One of the main authors’ ideas is that the shift to new means of interaction leads to the cultivation of a new culture. It has its unique features, such as language, modes of expression, and understanding each other. This culture affects all spheres of our activity and daily interactions. Another idea offered by Renner (2019) is that new identities might be characterized by alterations in human perception linked to camera screens used as the tool for sharing emotions. These ideas can be discussed in the five areas mentioned above to promote their better understanding.
Communication
The radical change in communication is one of the most visible outcomes of social media’s growing importance. Speaking about this aspect, Renner (2019) introduces the idea that a new digitalized environment demands new means of communication, leading to more informative elements. Thus, communication can be defined as the process of creating meaning through symbolic interaction (Adler, Rodman and du Pre, 2019). It means that the act of speaking is not always necessary for sharing ideas and thoughts, and this idea correlates with the nature of social media. Renner (2019) emphasizes the fact that most online photos posted today are created not for sharing memories but should be viewed as units of communication. They can be considered hieroglyphs conveying particular ideas, vital for creating specific meaning (Renner, 2019). This is the first visible effect of social media on people’s identity.
Moreover, communication cannot be viewed as a discrete act occurring once in a particular setting. On the contrary, it is a continuous, ongoing process that can last long enough to introduce needed concepts (Adler, Rodman and du Pre, 2019). Renner (2019) supports this idea, emphasizing the fact that nowadays, various platforms are full of photos made during a prolonged period of time and representing a certain changing meaning or idea. It means that by using social media, people engage in the continuous process of sharing their emotions, thoughts, and ideas, which makes their communication patterns differ from past ones. In such a way, new tools to create value are available nowadays, and they are part of people’s identity.
Language
The interaction between individuals is performed by using language and its different forms. It means that the change of communication also implies the alteration of the existing language and how it functions. The given phenomenon can be defined as a collection of symbols structured regarding specific rules and used to convey messages (Adler, Rodman and du Pre, 2019). From this perspective, the growing role of numerous camera shots makes them specific symbols that are used in terms of a new language, typical for the social media era (Griffin, Ledbetter and Sparks, 2018). Emojis used at the first stages of the Internet’s development are replaced with new, more powerful, and meaningful units. These are photos helping to convey messages and create meaning.
In such a way, the symbolism of language becomes even more significant under the impact of social media. Renner (2019) says that selfies, which are extremely popular nowadays, cannot be viewed as an accurate picture of a person, but they are the visual depiction of the idea linked to the person. It means the contextual element of new language symbols becomes less significant while they become more symbolic and are introduced to convey hidden messages, and symbols or make people think about particular ideas (Connell et al., 2021). In such a way, the language field also experiences strong effects of social media.
Listening
The concept of listening has also experienced critical changes due to the growing importance of media. Although Renner (2019) does not talk about it directly, the author discusses the idea that augmentation of our reality is inevitable and linked to the evolution process. It means that the changes in the basic areas cannot be reverted, and it is critical to adapt to new conditions. Under these conditions, listening shifts from the face-to-face process toward a mediated act performed by understanding messages sent by using new language units (Chonka, 2020). In other words, the ability to understand other people’s thoughts becomes dependent on the degree to which their posts are comprehended.
This alteration is inevitable and can be viewed as one of the effects promoted by social media. Because good listening skills increase your chances for social interaction or make you a better friend or romantic partner, individuals try to master this skill (Adler, Rodman and du Pre, 2019). In the age of social media, it implies the ability to interpret posts and images posted by others (Campbell, Martin and Fabos, 2019). It leads to the shift of priorities from face-to-face communication to other means; however, it also means that new definitions of a good listener might appear. At the same time, the traditional modes of communication will also remain relevant.
Self
The alterations in the concept of self are also significant. Renner (2019) emphasizes the idea that the rise of social media introduces multiple opportunities for people but, at the same time, might limit individuals. For instance, experimentation in adolescence is one of the critical elements needed for the successful evolution of a child. The existence of a particular psychological moratorium, or when society allows children to make mistakes or errors, helps to recover after unsuccessful or shameful experiences and forget them (Renner, 2019). However, social media destroys this moratorium as it contains undeniable proof of previous mistakes available to millions of users (Renner, 2019). It preconditions critical changes in people’s ideas of self and their behaviors.
Today, perceptions a person has about themself are significantly influenced by others. This idea is linked to the fact that active social media users are used to sharing aspects of their lives with others and expecting their reactions (Adler, Rodman and du Pre, 2019). It influences the stability of their moods, social traits, and physical condition, which are the major components of self (Adler, Rodman and du Pre, 2019). At the same time, the individuals’ perception is also influenced as it is at the risk of being narrowed by millions of photos a person sees every day (Chonka, 2020). Under these conditions, the identity of a person becomes shaped through his/his self and the way they view the environment when using social media.
Culture
Finally, the rise of platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook has led to the establishment a new culture. The concept includes the language, values, beliefs, customs, and traditions common to a particular group of people (Adler, Rodman and du Pre, 2019). Considering the changes in communication, perception, and self mentioned above, social media cultivated a new culture. Today, the privacy of individuals is destroyed by the Internet as it transforms people’s mistakes into permanent records (Renner, 2019). At the same time, companies analyze people’s accounts to check whether a person can be hired. It means that social media has become an important part of contemporary culture and continues to shape it. However, it is necessary to consider the fact that difficult or contradictory moments are not usually highlighted in social media. It means that the new paradigm might include a false or artificial image of wellness or happiness created by posting only happy photos.
Conclusion
Altogether, the article “How social media shapes our identity” by Renner highlights essential aspects linked to five critical areas. The dominance of the Internet and platforms such as Twitter or Instagram result in radical alterations in language, communication, perception, self, and culture. Today, photos are often used as symbols to convey messages and create values. Being more informative than traditional tools, they might introduce additional risks as there is no chance for a mistake to be forgotten. In such a way, technologies form a new reality characterized by unique interaction patterns influenced by the culture and values topical at the moment.
Reference List
Adler, R., Rodman, G. and du Pre, A. (2019) Understanding human communication. 14th edn. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Campbell, R., Martin, C. and Fabos, B. (2019) Media & culture: an introduction to mass communication. 12th edn. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Chonka, P. (2020) ‘Book review: African language digital media and communication’, New Media & Society, 22(4), pp. 721–724. Web.
Connell, J. et al. (2021) ‘Social media, popular culture and ‘soft heritage’: Chinese tourists in search of Harry Potter’, Tourist Studies, 21(4), pp. 572–595. Web.
Griffin, E., Ledbetter, A. and Sparks, G. (2018) The first look at communication theory. 10th edn. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Education.
Renner, R. (2019) ‘How social media shapes our identity, The New Yorker. Web.