Reflections on how technology affects our identity

When I was growing up we didn’t have cell phones, you accessed the internet via dial up, and there were a lot of people who did not have computers in their homes. For anyone who knows that I’m technically a millennial (though being born in the very early 80s I think we need some sort of transition generation between X and millennial) my opening statement might get a few eye rolls. Starting with a “back in my day” reflection is more suited to something my parents or grandparents might say. But when it comes to technology, I think that my generation was in a unique position. We were young enough to adapt to the technological evolution, easily adopting it as part of our daily lives. But we also remember what it was like before the internet and before smartphones. I remember what it was like before call waiting. Instead of waiting to get a friend on the phone, I would just walk to her house.

Children today will never know that crackling noise that used to blast through the computer speakers as we tried (and sometimes failed) to connect to the internet. They aren’t familiar with the thrill of hearing that AOL voice announce, “You’ve got mail!” And today’s youth are growing up during a time when everyone seems to be connected all of the time. Technology has placed a sense of urgency on everything. If you don’t answer your phone or immediately respond to a text or email your parents may think your life is in peril. This idea that everyone is always available can make it difficult to disconnect and can add stress to your life, particularly if a company expects its employees to be working 24-7.

We live in a world where social media is a way of life (and for me it’s also a way to make a living). I remember when Friendster was the hip platform to be on, then it was MySpace. Children today probably haven’t even heard of them because Facebook has cornered the social media market. Now Instagram and Snapchat are taking over.

I felt pressured to join Facebook just as I was graduating from Rutgers University with my undergraduate degree. Back then Facebook was exclusive to a few universities and you had to have an active student email address to register. Today it’s open to everyone and isn’t exclusive, but I also don’t consider it inclusive.

While it’s nice to have a way to connect with long lost friends and family in faraway places, it has also created a fake culture. This technology has made it incredibly easy to disseminate false information, whether it’s so-called fake news, or a constructed version of oneself that isn’t really truthful.

I chuckle when Facebook memories pop up from back when the site first began. Before it was a wall, it was a feed of status updates written in the third person. I actually laugh at myself sometimes for how I phrased things back them. I often complained about my crazy work schedule. I worked two jobs after graduating and my main job as a journalist was pretty demanding.

Now social media is less about words and more about images, with the exception of Twitter which seems to be hanging on for now. Social media is no longer just a place to let your friends and family know what you’re up to, it’s now about capturing picture-perfect moments. No one wants to post about their bad hair day, unless maybe it’s so bad it’s funny and will get a few laughing emoji responses.

I think that technology has made it incredibly easy for us to express ourselves, but it has also censored us in a way. Is posting a perfect picture or coming up with something witty to say about sharing our true selves, or about putting our best image forward? Has this technology pushed us to be our best selves, or to lie about who we are?

As easy as it is to post images that convey a false sense of identity, social media and technology in general, have also made it incredibly easy to share fake news, to spread hatred and to turn something that was meant to be inclusive of everyone into the equivalent of a Mean Girls club. Don’t get me wrong, social media and technology have their positives too. Just as people can spread hatred, others can organize against it. Online fundraising makes it easy to support great causes and those in need and I use Facebook to keep up with my family on the West Coast. I thoroughly enjoy watching my nieces and nephews grow through photographs and videos when I can’t be with them in person.

Technology can be a really great thing, but it’s important to remember that there is life outside of cellphones and virtual social spaces. It’s important to find a balance between the real world and those communities on the internet.

This blog post is an assignment for an Identity, Technology & Communication course at NJIT.