“My-Face”
January 25, 2009
I already have a facebook and myspace account. So I went through the accounts for this assignment. I have friends in both of those internet circles so the anonymity which the book spoke of wasn’t as prevalent. But, the thought did prompt an idea. I did try creating an alter-ego on myspace. I was a mariachi band member named Ollie Procurador. I had a moustache. The biggest thing I recovered from my own sub-exercise was how hard it is to create a completely fictitious identity. Even though I would describe myself as a somewhat creative and odd intellect, I still found it hard to come up with details. If I spent enough time I’m sure I could fill the holes. But, to not disclose any truth in an alter-ego is truly difficult. Because of that I think the best alter-ego’s have some basis in a true identity. So it must not ever be a completely different persona, but rather a hybrid of truth and fiction.
Anyway, in my wildest fantasy I guess I’m a mariachi band member. I’m not sure how to manage that, does it say something about myself? It must. The concept of telepresence means we can create meaning via mediated communication on the internet. This is significant (and that statement “this is significant” would be more significant if I was a P.h.d., but alas I’m still an undergrad.) The manipulation of meaningful conversation says more about ourselves than I initially have given credit to. Society is based on interactions between two parties, economic, emotional, practical… whatever the type it is all built on interactions. So, to alter these interactions is to alter the sphere of society one surrounds themselves with means something for that person. Given the increasing levels of interactivity (Speed, range, and mapping) tied to the internet, the altering of internet interactions must also hold an increased meaning for the interactor.
Back to the assignment, for my pre-existing Myspace & Facebook pages (the ones where I’m not Ollie Procurador) I do practice a bit of non-disclosure. Anyone could potentially read that information, so I don’t disclose details which may bring embarrassment to me. I do disclose things which may further my position in the relationships tied to those accounts. I’ll be honest, it is a selfish pursuit. The pages are all about me for one, and people visiting them are interacting with me. Though there are elements that don’t point to me, (i.e. I mention my wife) these pages are social tools which I use to stay in touch, but the bottom line is I want them to strengthen my relationships. So, throw a few witty remarks to show I’m funny, mention my ability to bench 500 lbs. to show I’m manly and ridiculously strong (and funny, because I can’t do that), and post a few pictures and mentions of music to help define myself and that’s about it. I’ve got my “identity.”
Granted, I find myself easily bored on these websites so I don’t put much time into them. I honestly don’t find the communication very fulfilling. For me I think it is tied to the fact that my job involves mediated conversation, so I find myself wanting immediate interaction in my off hours. That is a personal observation which couldn’t bring too much insight for society.
This particular assignment was a bit more difficult for me to navigate and apply the text and answer why-this-why-now.
Ollie Procurado = awesome!
Even the best fiction writers pull real elements from their own lives to give their characters realism. And yes I think it’s pretty hard to keep a little truth from escaping when creating a facade.
It is interesting how easy it seems to be to sum up our “identity” with a few quotes, pics, or fave movies. I’ve thought about people’s profiles on these networking sites something like job applications or resumes; obviously you can’t know everything about someone from a page of info, but you can usually get the “gist”. Which makes editing, what info we add and what we hide, that much more important.
I think I might have to go befriend Ollie Procurado.
-Casey
First of all, I completely agree with applying the text to the assignment- I felt there was a ton of analysis I could do regarding both Facebook and Myspace, but not necessarily from the perspective of the text. Other than the anonymous angle.
Second- I love your side-assignment! Although I do have to say, it may have been easier to come up with details if you hadn’t chosen to be a mariachi player….
But you bring up a good subject to question- Isn’t it more difficult to create a false identity than to stick with your original one? Also, has anyone else noticed that when seeing a false portrayal of someone or something, don’t they tend toward the dramatic and unlikely- so can often easily be identified?
Finally, the acknowledgment that when we design these sites about ourselves, there is a certain amount of thought that goes into how to convey key qualities of ourselves to the viewer- is excellent!
I’ll third the difficulty focusing this assignment towards the text. It feels a bit like the assignments are a week off schedule, because Chapter 4 of Wood & Smith dealing with relationships might have been a handy one to use here. I suppose online identity is the crux of this thing though, so…
Yes. I liked your own mariachi-band-playing-self identity and would have to agree that making an entirely separate identity is hard. I write fiction and that’s something I have to grapple with on a daily basis – characters who are NOT me. It’s a lot harder than I’d like it to be, so kudos to you for even trying.
I agree with your usage of both MySpace and FB. There aren’t many people who would purposely post things that would be embarrassing or detrimental to their relationships (unless they’re a masochist, I guess!), but I hadn’t thought of what we share as being conduits for furthering our relationships with the people we interact with. You’ve definitely got me thinking!
Good post