Blog Post #3 - Mainella

In this week’s course content, the idea of technological determinism was examined in relation to social anxieties about interactivity and the documentary called Eight Grade. In order for one to understand how anxiety about the interactivity of our new digital media and technological determinism relates to the chosen film, the concepts of interactivity and technological determinism must be defined. Technological determinism is an external agent that operates upon and transforms society. Interactivity can be defined as the ability for one to interact with people. Considering such, one can identify how the chosen perspective, technological determinism, proves that the anxiety of interactivity is present in Eight Grade. It can be strongly argued that technology has greatly impacted Kayla’s life in terms of her social anxiety. At one point in the film, Kayla was invited to a party through the communicative platform, Instagram. Although this invitation can be viewed in a positive manner, Kayla received the invitation from a girl in her class that highly disliked her and only invited Kayla because her mother insisted on it. As a result, Kayla began feeling anxiety and hesitation when attempting to initiate social interactions at the party. Ultimately, these explanations have proven how anxiety about interactivity and technological determinism are present in the film, Eight Grade.