Technology, Social Media, and Changes in NW and Swing Time Communication

With their exploration of the messy, fast-changing world of technology and social media, Zadie Smith's books NW (2012) and Swing Time (2016) show how they alter people's connections, expression, and fit into society. This essay examines how Smith presents digital communication as a force shaping identity, relationships, and cultural ties rather than only as a means of contact. The study reveals how Smith's characters negotiate a world where everything happens instantly, privacy is precarious, and every online action feels like a performance using ideas like Marshall McLuhan's famous line, "the medium is the message," and Manuel Castells's view of how networks dominate modern life. Social media reflects the anarchy of city life in NW; characters use it to climb socially, locate their people, or simply survive in a world when money is limited. But it's a two-edged blade; while it provides connection, it also makes people feel alone, particularly in light of race and class.Conversely, Swing Time asks how digital life alters our perception of race, culture, and even do-gooder projects in locations like Africa, zooming out globally. Who is going to share whose story? Really in charge is who?Though the two books approach technology differently, they both address the same unsettling reality: social media lets people redefine themselves, but it also turns life into a stage everyone is watching. Smith does not offer simple responses. Rather, she challenges us to consider what digital connection actually means—especially in light of race, culture, and inequality influencing every click and scroll.