Eliza and Her Monsters

Eliza and Her Monsters demonstrates how digital technology can provide multiple outlets for self-invention and relationships, particularly for someone like Eliza herself. Although her parents insist on the division between “online” and “real” life, that distinction doesn’t really make sense to Eliza. Her social anxiety makes face-to-face interactions difficult in ways that her more outgoing family doesn’t understand. Eliza and her parents argue many times about her use of technology. Her parents minimize her friendships with Max and Emmy because Eliza has never met them in person; the Mirks don’t understand how a friendship could develop in other ways. Eliza complains, “If I have my phone out talking to you or my online friends, [my parents] think I’m ignoring them, or being disrespectful, or whatever. And it’s like, no, I’m in the middle of a conversation” (185). She can open up to Max and Emmy precisely because the messaging tool lets her focus on their words: “[T]alking is easier when there’s a screen or even a piece of paper between you and the person you’re talking to” (128). In these situations, Eliza feels less pressure and can think about her responses, allowing her to interact with more confidence.