Century Using The Medium To Comment On The Concerning Truth of

In the age of social media, individuals globally seem lead a dual life; one online and the other in
the real world. However, the online world we inhabit does not follow the laws of the natural
world, bringing to question, who is in control of our lives? Author Gabby Schulz explores this
theme in her comic the 21st Century; using the medium to comment on the concerning truth of
our online privacy. The comic was published on Gabby’s Playhouse, under the webcomics
section of the online website. In brief, the comic strip follows a protagonist who has recently
obtained a smart phone for the first time. The comic uses monologue to carry readers through
the narrative, as the protagonist navigates the new world he has entered. By scrutinizing the
themes of online privacy and the herd mentality opposed on society by social media, Schulz
critiques mankind’s blind enslavement to a world it does not truly understand. Schulz conveys
this through her use of imagery and panel composition.
In order to first contextualize the comic’s theme, the intended audience of the text must be
established. Based on the comic, the comic targets young adults and the middle aged, lower-
middle to upper class citizens with an interest in social commentary. Societal commentary as a
genre requires individuals to debate intellectual ideas. This is geared towards people who have
been exposed to such: educated members of society. In the third panel of the comic, the
protagonist receives a phone which was a “hand-me-down from an adult with a job,”. In this
example, the author use colloquialism to humanize the protagonist by using ‘everyday’
language. As a result, readers are able to relate to the protagonist. Furthermore, there is an
emphasis placed on, “adult with a job,”. As the protagonist is unemployed, this stands out from
the text. From this, it can be inferred that in many ways’ smartphones are a status symbol, an
expectation from modern society; a concept our protagonist has tried to not to conform to. This
incites a dialogue between the audience and the text, as readers seek to uncover the many
ways in which social media has infiltrated the pillars which uphold society. Further thought may
also lead readers to debate what causes social norms and their inherent effect on society’s
functioning. This helps cement the core theme of the text, as it holds a mirror to society
demanding it assess its blindness.
Temptation is probably the strongest force at play within the human mind. This
especially holds true for when one feels isolated amongst one’s peers for not giving
in to said temptations. This is one of the themes explored by cartoonist and
illustrator Gabby Schulz’s comic ‘The 21st Century’ which tells the story of a
protagonist dealing with the exact issues as the aforementioned scenario. The
comic also functions as an effective critique of society and human psychology in
the current century. The invisible peer pressure that has penetrated our society is
something which we all have faced at certain points in our life- The urge to stay
connected to social media to know what your friends and family are up to, the
willingness to sign-up to any social-media website to feel in-tune with the cultural
milieu etc. Such urges are faced by everyone- from a coming of age teenager trying
to find their purpose to an already enterprising adult feeling out of touch. This
makes practically every 21st century citizen to be intended audience for this comic.
It is also important to note the social context of this comic- in which it addresses
the threat of individual users becoming data mines for large corporations. This
commentary gains relevance when juxtaposed with the Cambridge Analytica
exposé in which it was revealed that social media corporations extracted and used
hundreds of terabytes of user data to rig ad algorithms and potentially the 2016 US
Presidential Elections. Schulz uses his recognizable visual style to create a satirical
tone to convey his cynical outlook towards the social culture of the current era.

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In the age of social media, individuals globally seem lead a dual life; one online and the other in

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