“Users rely on their network of friends to
verify their identity”, (McNeill, 2012). This statement that McNeill makes is definitely
true, this made me further think about how our social networks can influence
our identity and conform us to the social standards of the current place and
time.
Agreeing with
McNeill when she states that “In a virtual space you are not the only one that
constructs your identity”, I’d also like to add that many
social media sites play a large role in constructing one's identity. When
creating a Facebook profile, you are asked basic questions such as, your
location, your employment, your gender, your relationship status, your family, your hobbies
and interests. During this week’s lecture, one main statement really caught my eyes, “if you don’t have a story or an answer that
matches the norm, then you don’t have an option” (Van Luyn 2015), what most people don’t realise
is how on our Facebook profiles these questions only have a select few answers. When selecting an answer, Facebook generates an online profile for
us and gives us suggestions of users that we could be compatible with based on our profile. One
could even argue that Facebook only allows select options because it wants us
to identify ourselves within the boarders of what socially acceptable in the current
time and place. McNeill gives a further description, “This networked self is organised like the web itself, as a constantly changing set of affiliation’s or
links. At any given moment the individual is defined by the connections that
she chooses to establish with other individuals, activity groups and religious
and secular organisations”(McNeill, 2012).
We are already pressured
by society to live our lives a certain way and essentially “go with the flow”and not go against common societal norms. Are our social
networks enabling us to fully represent ourselves in a shameless way, or are we
unknowingly conforming into the way society wants us to become?
References:
Mcneill, L. (2012). There Is No "I" in Network, Volume 35, Number 1. Retrieved fromhttp://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au
Van Luyn, A. (2015). BA1002 Our space: networks, narrative and the making of place, Lecture 6: Networked narratives: intertextuality. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au
Image Credit:
Zeitgeist. (2012). Tell me what companies thou keepest and I'll tell you thee what thou art. Retrieved from:https://imgeistderzeit.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/tell-me-what-company-thou-keepst-and-ill-tell-thee-what-thou-art/
Zeitgeist. (2012). Tell me what companies thou keepest and I'll tell you thee what thou art. Retrieved from:https://imgeistderzeit.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/tell-me-what-company-thou-keepst-and-ill-tell-thee-what-thou-art/
The questions you raise at the end are quite interesting and make you really think about what the answer could be. It does seem like social media is attempting
ReplyDelete(whether purposely or accidentally) to shape our identities and conform us to what is seen as social norms. The introduction of this week's reading "The digital
era complicates definitions of the self and its boundaries" (McNeill, 2012), is very thought-provoking and fits well with the arguments you make in your blog.
Social media doesn't completely control our identity, but certainly shapes identities, for instance how creating a Facebook profile limits questions. Facebook
also shapes identities by the use of prompting. As suggested in your blog about limiting suggested friends due to social norms, this can also be applied to pages
one can like or groups to join. Logging onto Facebook on your computer you are met with a list of pages you may be interested in due to friends liking the page
or the page being similar to one's you already like. With the information you presented in your blog, the questions you have asked are fascinating.
References:
Mcneill, L. (2012). There is no "I" in Network: Social Networking Sites and Posthuman Auto/Biography. Biography 35.1. 65-82. Retrieved from http://www.learnjcu.edu.au
I understand where you’re coming from when you talk about how Facebook asks you about your life and how if you have an unusual story you don’t have an opinion. However the designers at Facebook have started making progress with allowing a more diverse set of experiences to be represented on the site. Facebook started by expanding its gender options to a fairly inclusive 58 (pretty good seeing as most people are alright with simply using either male or female). However there was still complaints and Facebook has since allowed the users to choose male, female or custom where they can write in the gender and pronouns they would prefer to be represented with(Bell, 2015). Unfortunately this seems to be Facebook realising that what is deemed socially acceptable has changed rather than actually allowing people to identify themselves outside of the social norms but I guess it’s a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteReferences
Bell, K. (2015). Facebook's new gender options let you choose anything you want. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2015/02/26/facebooks-new-custom-gender-options/