The concept of “selves” could be compared to your actual self, or one’s online “profile”- which is arguably the center of Web 2.0. I say “arguably” because there are many critical factors that make up the concept Web 2.0 and social media as a whole, but those who are creating these “selves” and profiles are individuals like you and me. We’re also the ones who are constantly producing and consuming content which feed the internet’s capital- (which is a pretty big deal)
Why is it that the idea of “What someone looks like on Instagram VS. Real Life” an actual thing? What do we hope to portray online that may be different from “real life?” According to Marwick throughout Status Update “Web 2.0 models ideal neoliberal selves, and rewards those who adopt such subjectivities” (6).What are these subjectivities?
Do you believe that Web 2.0 has allowed the idea of the “self” and our lives as a whole to be an imaginary? I encourage you all to comment on and think about why or why not your own profiles online may be an imaginary or congruent with neoliberal values.
I do believe that the web has allowed the idea of the “self” and our lives as a whole to be an imaginary. Our actions and creation of ourselves through social media and online cultivates version of our best possible self. The web fails to capture moments of failure and the everyday, moreover we tend to record our best possible moments and represent ourselves the way we want others to see us. We can look at two social media platforms, such as Linkedin and Facebook, both these platforms allow for us to connect with peers, communicate, display photos, our interests, work history and much more. The way we represent ourselves on Linkedin varies drastically then Facebook, we create a representation of how we want our friends to see us compared to employers. Overall, what we post on social media captures a small aspect of our entire life, it allows the individual to create a representation of who they are.
ReplyDeleteI believe that there is a common conception about Instagram selves differing from real life selves since they present perceived visions of ourselves. What people post about themselves on Instagram projects what they believe represents their likes, interests, opinions, humour, beauty and style. However in real life these beliefs and values are not always on display for others to adore, agree with, or even disagree with. People may hope to portray a more exciting life than what they actually believe their life consists of. Life is not always exciting or filled with epic moments, but when you post an edited and calculated photo or video on Instagram it can appear that way and get attention by followers and potential followers if you don’t have a private account.
ReplyDeleteWith Marwick’s quote in mind, the subjectivities that she speaks about include adopting a capitalist way of living life. Therefore valuing spending money and work ethic that involves long hours and tedious work. I believe that web 2.0 has allowed the idea of the “self” and our lives to be an imaginary since it has helped us express how we view ourselves. Hence the discussion about projected selves on Instagram accounts. Therefore I believe that my Instagram account projects certain qualities and interests that I would like to think represents parts of who I am. However I know it is not truly who I am and does not have to define me but it can help my figure out who else, out of my followers, has similar interests in life.
Agreeing with Nicole and Sarah, I think that people want to project their best self. If we uploaded everything we did there would be a lot of Netflix, cat memes, and other not extremely fulfilling activities.
ReplyDeleteAs Nicole said, social media allows for the creation of imaginaries. As both of them pointed out,it is not meant to be taken as a representation of our entire lives, although oftentimes it may be treated as such. Social media creates a mask which we display in the virtual world. When we have interactions online with people you only know online, you are who you depicted yourself to be.
With social media there the projected self is of course only going to represent a portion of who you are. I think society has had these tendencies long before social media as people generally want other to perceive the best version of themselves. People dress up to go outside, and our social media accounts are just a version of this. The imaginaries we construct with things like social media are of course in no way able to represent out entire lives, just as nothing truly ever could. The point is to take everything you can with a grain of salt because as the old saying goes "appearances arent everything."
ReplyDelete