Domesticating domestication. Reflections on the life of a concept

In the article ‘Domestication of Media and Technology’, Roger Silverstone takes a unique approach to look at how media acts a form of domestication, which is incorporated into our daily lives. This concept is similar to house breaking a pet for example, and teaching it to live along side us as we function in our daily lives. The difference is that it was with “wild animals then” and “wild technologies now”. Essentially, Silverstone argues that the media has become such an integral part of everyday life that it has influenced the way we live. He states that previously “domestication was something that human beings did to enhance and secure their everyday lives”. By adopting new technologies and often inadvertently letting the media become our lives we are reshaping the way we socially interact, share our opinions with others and go through the course of everyday activities. Basically this is a form of domestication that the media has brought upon human beings.

In particular, I find the argument about “household and home”, to be a very valid one, which discusses how contemporary media has redefined the concepts of public vs. private domains. Not long ago only the lives of those individuals (celebrities, politicians etc.) that were constantly in the eye of the media were considered public. The domestication of media today enables anyone and everyone to share their lives with the rest of the world as they please. Even as I write this blog, I am engaging in a form of discourse about my personal perspective with whoever wishes to explore this entry. Other popular arenas such as social networking websites, public chat rooms and blogs are examples of forums through which individuals bring once very private information into the public light.

As previously alluded to, one parallel between house breaking a pet and the domestication of media is very different however. A pet is domesticated by human beings to function within their lives and abide by the expectations within a home. On the other hand, as this article interestingly compels us to reflect, we must continually ask ourselves whether it is us adopting the media within our lives, or whether media and technology are in fact domesticating us…

Umair Raza

3280337

ARTS 1090 – W11A

Bibliography:

Silverstone, Roger. “Domesticating Domestication. Reflections on the life of a concept.” From Berker, Thomas, et al, (Eds) Domestication of Media and Technology. Open University Press, 2006, 229-248.