[Air-l] Re: New Theoretical Approaches to the Self in Cyber-Culture

[danah boyd]

> From: "noci" <nochi at gmx.net>
> Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 00:05:03 +0100
>
> the interesting questions there: is the "online self" different from
> the "real" self?

I think it's also important to ask what it means to have a 'real' self.
In the physical world, i exhibit a wide variety of aspects of myself to a
wide variety of people, given a particular context.  The language,
mannerisms, dress, and attitude i exhibit at work differs tremendously
from that which i exhibit on a Saturday night at a NYC club.  Are these
two different selves or just different facets of my 'self'?

I believe that we have a strong sense of self, even if particular
characteristics can be conflicting and confusing (Saturday night
behavior/beliefs versus church behavior/beliefs).  We exhibit certain
aspects of our self to certain people during certain interactions.  This
doesn't make our self any less real, just controlled (or 'performed') for
a particular purpose, even if that purpose is simply fitting social norms.
For example, while someone may be a mother, she probably will not speak to
you in mommy-language at a business meeting, not because she's trying to
hide her motherhood, but because the performance isn't socially
appropriate.

In the same way, i would suggest that online is just another context, with
different norms and different ways of performing one's self.  For example,
in the physical world, we have to work with the characteristics of our
self that are written on the body, while those are not readable online.
Consequently, we pay much more attention to the qualities that are given
through avatars, language or email/pseudonyms, trying to derive basic
social information about the people out there (i.e. sex, age, location,
values, etc.).

Just as we hide/lie about certain personal characteristics in the physical
world (how old are you, really?), we do the same online.  Sometimes this
is malicious; sometimes, it's purely entertaining; sometimes, it's
unintentional.  I guess i hesitate to think of the online sphere as
tremendously different, just another context with slightly different
rules/options.

Please disagree with me because i am really interested in this
conversation...

danah