Narratives
are the main way we look at and perceive the past, but how will the “Facebook
generation” be perceived by future generations? Images, words and other
narrative devices are used by people on Facebook to construct their own
reality. A Facebook user’s timeline can
be read as a complete narrative of that person’s online life, showcasing what
somebody is doing, and how somebody is feeling, down to the exact time and
location.
The
fact that is interesting is that a Facebook user has complete control over what
is posted to their timeline, effectively allowing somebody to construct a
reality that suits them, over a straight autobiography. This is similar to how
travel reviewers portrayed the Pacific in the 1920s. (Kuttainen, 2013) explains
how professional writers and artists became travel reviewers and used their
skills in creating narratives to portray the Pacific as a fantastical tropical
paradise. This is not unlike how a
Facebook user can highlight aspects of their life and make their Facebook timeline look like the perfect life.
It
is important to say that a Facebook user, much like the travel reviewers are
most likely not lying about their experiences. They are simply using words to
create the reality they want to be seen. If somebody posts about how amazing
their day at the park was, they might not want to mention the ball that they
lost in the tree or the dog poo they stood on and they don’t have to. It will
just be interesting to see how these social media narratives will be interpreted
by future generations. Somebody may think that the youth of 2015 lived the best
life where people were happy and had a great time, or cynicism may reign
supreme and the generation of today may look like liars for not revealing every
little detail about their lives. We will just have to wait and see.
References
Kuttainen, V. (2013). Style Modernity and
Magazines. Telling Stories: Australian
life and Literature 1935-2012. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/webapps/Conc-camcontent-bb_bb60/items/getitem.jsp?as_course_code=14-BA1002-TSV-INT-SP2&content_id=_1631889_1&course_id=_60553_1&doc_id=53202
Image
Reference
http://www.mumreinvented.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/perfect-facebook-life.png
I find your blog quite interesting and your analogy between a Facebook user constructing an online identity and how travel reviewers would only mention the
ReplyDeletebest of the Pacific fascinating. Kuttainen (2015) mentions how the Greeks would tell narratives in a way that would shape and persuade. It is interesting to see that
today's generation are still telling narratives that alter the perceptions of the audience. Facebook gives it's user's the opportunity to post whatever and whenever, and many users upload statuses and pictures daily, creating a narrative of their online identity. As mentioned in blog, people only want the world to the very best of what is occurring in one's life and this is what Facebook users aim to achieve. They will word posts a certain way to capture attention, might change their story a bit from the truth, all to shape how others will view them.
References
Kuttainen, V. (2015). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narratives, and the Making of Place, Week 5: Stories and Places (PowerPoint Presentation). Retrieved from http://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au
You have touched on some very solid points in regards to society and the way each person can position themselves for the world to see. Virtual networks are a costume shop where anyone can dress up and portray a life which they want everyone to see. The power of social media is that people can "escape" from their daily lives and be seen as happy and doing well, when this may not be the case. Facebook has become a second life for most people and is treated as such. As Victoria said in the lecture, "A sense of one's self, comes from the narrative we tell ourselves (Kuttainen, 2015). This is very true in the way we construct our timelines and updates which build or confidence. My questions is, why do some people feel the need to become a spectacle? are these actions the beginnings of a social capitalist? Or someone feeling empty within?
ReplyDeleteReference:
Kuttainen, V. (2015). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narratives, and the Making of Place, Week 5: Stories and Places (Power Point Slides). Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au