Final Blog Post #11

Overall, my relationship with technology began ever since I was born. Growing up and going to school, everything I did was surrounded by technology. When it comes to computer time or the smart board, technology was a regular part of my life and the life of people around me. Every kid had an iPad, iPod, or even an iPhone in the 4th grade, which was something my older sister never experienced. Now, instead of having the issue of children having too much playtime with toys, it’s about children having too much screen time. I got my first iPhone in 4th grade because I was doing so many after-school activities like gymnastics and acting lessons and for safety reasons, my parents wanted a way to contact me.

Being a social media and digital communications major, technology will follow me throughout my whole life and career. The impact of the social media side of technology has been something I have focused on since my high school COVID years. I would get sent PR packages that I would have to post to promote various products on several platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. When entering college, my PR and social media work started to get more serious. I was getting multiple PR packages a day while also getting paid to promote the products. Due to the impact of my following growing and working with bigger brands, my relationship with technology became even stronger. I depend on social media and technology as a job and a passion.

With social media posting being so active, so is my digital footprint. If someone looks up my name, they can see my public TikTok page, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social media accounts I have been featured on or managed. Especially with being the co-founder of Style on Point, a student social media and digital fashion magazine, my digital footprint has expanded even more. All in all, I am very exposed online. On my personal Instagram, I have mostly brand deal posts promoting either clothing or other products like skincare. A user could also find my media kit and contact information for work opportunities and a link to my digital magazine called Style on Point, which definitely reinforces the fact of not feeling the thought of having much privacy online. Overall, AI usage has impacted online privacy. AI can collect your personal data to help promote certain posts being seen on your feed. “I feel like my phone is listening to me” is a quote that a lot of people have said recently over the years because Instagram advertisements reflect conversations they had earlier with friends. AI can also track location and know your face by just the data in the phones. 

While technology and social media have given me so many positive experiences, they can also have a very negative impact on many individuals. A major lesson that people need to understand is that social media portrays a biased version of people’s actual lives. In other words, social media is “fake”. People on social media only post positive photos, videos, etc., of things that they want people to see. Growing up and seeing friends post about hanging out without you could affect many individuals and make them feel lonely. However, I think social media is very important and can be seen positively if we learn that social media is not an accurate representation of people’s lives. 

Overall, growing up around technology and needing it for work, my relationship with it has grown and will hopefully keep growing as my career starts in the digital communications industry after college.