Body Image Problem: Is Technology to Blame?
by When culprits of body image problem are being probed, it is almost always expected to see either the mass media or our culture of obsession to slimness as first on the list. Though these were not absent in Annie Bradford Rispin’s “Here’s looking at you: is body image being taken too seriously?”, the essay is unique in that the author introduced a rather new suspect for which to blame this concern: technology.
Rispin suggests that the popularity of instant messaging, cell phone use and the likes has made us forget to see the true essence of a person as such communication media allows lesser personal interaction with another person and thus “internal” qualities are left unseen (“Body Image,” par. 13). She quotes psychologist Dr. Hue-Sun Ahn as saying that “the increase of communication though electronic means … [gives us fewer] opportunities to get to know people … on a personal level” (par. 13).
Personally, I just could not see how this lack of a more personal involvement in electronic communication directly affects our perception of how we look. Perhaps Rispin and Ahn’s stand simply reflect our irrational fear of technology. Dr. Reville, a professor at University College Cork in Ireland, explains that this fear is due to the perception that technology is unnatural and our “lack of understanding of [its] technical and scientific basis” (“If We Fear,” par. 2).
True, technology has revolutionized the way we communicate that there is much less sensory involvement when we chat via instant messaging or call someone on the phone. But has it really transformed us into mindless nonchalant beings? Is technology taking away all of our emotions that we have failed to see “compassion, spiritedness, sense of humor, loyalty [and other] non-visible qualities,” (“Body Image,” par. 13) as Ahn puts it?
Obviously, the answer is no, for technology merely speeds up the way we communicate and does not, in any direct way, change the way we think and feel. Yes, we use technology on a daily basis that we can’t seem to live without it. We send e-mails, we blog, watch YouTube. But at the end of the day, we still long for that one-on-one communication that no other medium could substitute. We have not forgotten to talk personally to friends, family, and mentors; we still laugh or cry on someone else’s shoulder; we fall in love. We are still, in every essence, human beings, with or without technology. We never really lost anything, not even our feelings.
Speaking of blogging and YouTube (or any video hosting site for that matter), many websites have been highly criticized for its loosely controlled content that it has become a breeding ground for bullies and egocentric users. These sites create a virtual environment where people can post anything, even funny clips of their classmates and other victims, and say whatever they want to say. This may seem like an obvious proof to the evils of technology but once again, let us pause for a while and think: is it really the website’s fault or ours? Certainly, we have had bullies and attention-grabbers long before the internet came. If websites like YouTube did not exist, perhaps people will still find other medium to express their devious thoughts. Also, the fact that there are those who venture to criticize these websites simply mean that we do not just tolerate such behaviors.
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