Sophie Rosenblum - American Media and Relationships in the 21st Century
Sophie is currently working for a political media company in NYC. She feels lucky to use her American Studies background to continue telling the stories that shape American life today.
Area of Concentration Courses
Sociology 135 - Sexual Cultures
American Studies 110 - American Media and Culture Since World War II
Journalism 136 – Media Ethics
English 100 - Memoir and Memory
English 109 – Self and the World (University of Copenhagen
Thesis
The Optimized Frontier: Biohacking and the American Dream of Eternal Life
Since America’s nascent days, the land and country it would become has been associated with the concept of “the fountain of youth”, an idea that can be traced back to the fifteenth century. The question of how to achieve eternal life sits at the center of American culture. Currently, this question has manifested as the modern “biohacking” movement, which is the conception that our biology can be “hacked,” or rewired through technological intervention to achieve immortality. There is a long lineage of this idea being explored in America, but, historically, religion was the conduit and the body was a tool which could be maintained to get closer to God.
This thesis argues that while the American body has long been seen as a vessel for salvation—particularly within Christian frameworks—the 20th century saw a shift. As the U.S. became a global superpower, religious fervor became increasingly redirected toward the self. This profound emphasis on individualism is what has driven today’s biohacking movement, built upon the false promise that money can buy truly anything, even immortality. Championed by a small yet growing subset of American men, biohacking is a uniquely masculinized phenomenon, questioning essentially how one can preserve their cultural legacy. In approaching this thesis, I wanted to understand how biohacking is a uniquely American phenomenon. To answer this question, my thesis traces the historical, religious, and semiotic roots of the American biohacking movement, making the argument that today’s longevity obsession is not a break from tradition, but its latest, and most commodified form.
