Madeleine Catalli Blog Post #2

During week three we watched Eighth grade. later we discussed how Eighth grade is an example which shows how technology and social media can be used in one's life to empower oneself and give one self-confidence that they may not have in person. The way that Kayla exemplified confidence and knowledge online, but not in person can relate to how students had to adapt to online school back in 2020 with the start of the pandemic. At first, we thought online learning would be a mess and have very few positives, however, carious students who were normally shy in class excelled with online learning because they were protected by their screens and did not have to show themselves. Students who are less confident in person were finally able to participate without fear of judgement. Even though we were not prepared for the quick switch. there are a lot of benefits that came from online learning. Though, one of the resources titled Facebook documents shows how toxic Instagram is for teens which speaks about the negative side of social media that is often talked about. "Thirty-two per cent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse" (Feiner and Bursztynsky, 2021). There is no doubt that social media and technology can be very harmful and are constantly filling out minds with unrealistic standards, but in my opinion, it is important to also look at the way social media has benefited all of us and positively changed our lives. During Covid-19 and still to this day I use social media platforms like Instagram to connect with my classmates for group projects. Moreover, when looking at Baym's seven key concepts for understanding the affordance powers of communication technologies it is clear that with the rise of online learning we have benefited from reach (classes were able to be larger), mobility (international students were able to join classes from home), and social interaction was continued through zoom, online surveys, polls, and break out rooms. Still, two years later we are using zoom lectures, online discussion forums etc., alongside our in-person classes to create this hybrid way of learning that encourages all types of students with different learning preferences to participate. 


By Madeleine Catalli

Feiner, L., & Bursztynsky, J. (2021, September 15). Facebook documents show how toxic instagram is for teens, Wall Street Journal Reports. CNBC. Retrieved October 3, 2022, from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/14/facebook-documents-show-how-toxic-instagram-is-for-teens-wsj.html

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