Page 247 - Lazar, Irena, Aleksander Panjek in Jonatan Vinkler. Ur. 2020. Mikro in makro. Pristopi in prispevki k humanističnim vedam ob dvajsetletnici UP Fakultete za humanistične študije, 2. knjiga. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem.
P. 247
mreženje kot magična beseda sodobnosti
Summary
Networking as the magic word of our time: some aspects of social
media use
The text presents a critical analysis of the popular understanding of mod-
ern information and communications technologies. It focuses on social
media platforms as an important framework, through which we commu-
nicate and establish relationships. It highlights some global trends that
characterize the modern understanding of society: the neoliberal ideolo-
gy places the individual as the supposed centre of power. The phenome-
non of networked individualism has also established itself through social
media platforms, and the article goes on to problematize the techno-op-
timistic and techno-pessimistic understanding of modern social media
platforms and uses examples to show that social media as communication
channels do not have transformative potential, and are therefore neither a
solution nor a problem (for society). Social problems originate from society
itself, so they are merely expressed and externalized in technologically es-
tablished spaces and communication practices, although the technologies
themselves neither cause nor eliminate the social phenomena. The technol-
ogies merely reproduce or even amplify existing communication and gen-
eral social inequalities. By analysing modern uses, the article shows how
the marketing and advertising logic of media visibility and branding of in-
dividuals are conducted within the framework of networked individual-
ism. In conclusion, it underlines the contemporary understanding of so-
cial media platforms as modern social hubs of sociality, where individuals
check what is happening, and highlights some possible side effects of con-
stant networking.
623
Summary
Networking as the magic word of our time: some aspects of social
media use
The text presents a critical analysis of the popular understanding of mod-
ern information and communications technologies. It focuses on social
media platforms as an important framework, through which we commu-
nicate and establish relationships. It highlights some global trends that
characterize the modern understanding of society: the neoliberal ideolo-
gy places the individual as the supposed centre of power. The phenome-
non of networked individualism has also established itself through social
media platforms, and the article goes on to problematize the techno-op-
timistic and techno-pessimistic understanding of modern social media
platforms and uses examples to show that social media as communication
channels do not have transformative potential, and are therefore neither a
solution nor a problem (for society). Social problems originate from society
itself, so they are merely expressed and externalized in technologically es-
tablished spaces and communication practices, although the technologies
themselves neither cause nor eliminate the social phenomena. The technol-
ogies merely reproduce or even amplify existing communication and gen-
eral social inequalities. By analysing modern uses, the article shows how
the marketing and advertising logic of media visibility and branding of in-
dividuals are conducted within the framework of networked individual-
ism. In conclusion, it underlines the contemporary understanding of so-
cial media platforms as modern social hubs of sociality, where individuals
check what is happening, and highlights some possible side effects of con-
stant networking.
623
