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“The individual is defined by the connections that she chooses to establish with other individuals, activity groups and religious and secular organisations” (McNeill, 2012). Spot-on, but who is McNeill’s (2012) ‘Networked self’ being defined to on a ‘Virtual’ setting than it didn’t already in ‘Reality’? Van Luyn (2015) discusses changes between traditional narratives and networked narratives. She states “These changes raise questions about the real and the virtual and about power relationships in networked communications context” (Van Luyn, 2015). I couldn’t agree more, my question is; does Facebook as a network really define us making us Post-human (McNeill), and if so does it define us anymore than living in the ‘real’ world does? Is Facebook and Its users constructing my identity or is it just a tool?
Facebook for me, is no more than means of communication to stay ‘connected’. Facebook is something I never log out of, literally always ‘online’ either on my phone or computer. I don’t feel Facebook itself defines me, it has an exceptional data base of software and algorithms as mentioned by McNeill (2012) with an ability to influence or encourage me to disclose my information with fill-in-the-blanks but this is my information, right? If someone asked the same questions in ‘reality’ I’d answer the same. In saying that, does the fact that I said on Facebook ‘In a relationship’, or said I read Harry Potter 5 years ago really defining us? I didn’t ask if I’m happy in the relationship or if I enjoyed Harry Potter, which would be defining.
My Profile represents my identity but does my friends and family posting there define or construct my identity any more than them saying what they posted, at a BBQ. I don’t like listening to the music I do because I have Facebook and I don’t have the morals I do because I have Facebook. Facebook is influential and informing, and a place to express our identity with, but if I was to delete Facebook would that mean I am no longer definable, do I no longer have an Identity?
Reference:
Harry Potter. (2015). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter
McNeill, L. (2012). There is no "I" in network: Social networking sites and post human auto/biography. Biography, Vol 35, No 1. pp. 65-82. DOI: 10.1353/bio.2012.0009.
Van Luyn, A. (2015). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives, and the making of place. Networked narratives: Intertextuality. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au
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I agree that within social media sites, like Facebook, your virtual identity is portrayed a certain way, which develops a specific aspect of your true identity, yet it is also interesting to question the accessibility of developing an online profile of yourself as the internet is a large place for anyone to become whoever they want. When devising a social media account you are generally asked for basic information on yourself so to construct an idea of yourself for others to see, allowing you to manipulate how you want to be portrayed, yet, these social media sites don't require any specific identification that proves that the account you are making is a truthful account, that the person you are creating is actually you. McNeill (2012) has discussed this issue, where through “imagining the Internet as a realm for Dionysian excess of identity play, … selves could be put on and off with a few key strokes.” Ultimately on Facebook, you can’t be positive that the person on the other side of the screen is that person you used to go to school with, or an absolute stranger.
ReplyDeleteReference:
McNeill, L. (2012). There is no "I" in network: Social networking sites and post human auto/biography. Biography, Vol 35, No 1. pp. 65-82. DOI: 10.1353/bio.2012.0009.