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It is true that I
only have one ‘authentic’ self: one identity, but there are layers to my
identity and what I reveal about myself, and to whom, is dependent on my
environment. Like a map, which is constructed for a particular purpose,
self-narratives are also structured within context (Van Luyn, 2013). So does
the fact that I only show ‘parts’ of myself to certain people in different
settings mean I lack integrity as Mark
Zuckerberg suggests (cited in McNeill, 2012, p.104)? Of course not, it
simply means I am managing what I reveal about myself to the world. It follows
then, as Laurie McNeill (2012) intimates in her essay, that the interdependent
nature of networked narratives, and the design imperatives of Facebook itself, diminishes
our autonomy and control over our story, thus limiting our agency. Right? I’m
not convinced.
Sure there are constraints
on what information we can include on our Facebook Profile, but the predetermined
fields—akin to real world checkboxes—that McNeill (2012) laments are reflective
of society more broadly (right or wrong). The difference being, that on
Facebook we have the option to post commentary (daily, or hourly if we so
choose), to ‘speak’ with our own voice to reflect who we truly are, and by doing so essentially render those predetermined
fields irrelevant. Besides, who actually looks at the 'About' section on their friends page? I know I don't.
I also question whether network narratives blur the distinction between reality and
fiction (Van Luyn, 2013), or diminish the authenticity or even hijack our story (McNeill, 2012).
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The way I see it, the “coproduced
collaborations between individual users and their networks” (McNeil, 2012,
p.107) actually adds to the precision of our narrative. I often see others comment on their friends' posts, adding to it, clarifying, elaborating or reminiscing. When someone tags me in something I would rather not be associated with (say a 20 year old photo of me dancing on a table in some far flung pub in the Kimberley's in WA for example), I have two choices; accept it, or untag and delete it from my timeline. Our online network simply strips away the layers and exposes those parts of ourselves that
we often compartmentalise in real life, but we do have a choice. Our
ultimate control as individuals (our 'agency') cannot be threatened as long as
there is the ‘de-activate’ account button.
References
McNeill, L. (2012). There Is No
"I" in Network: Social Networking Sites and Posthuman Auto/Biography. Biography 35(1), 65-82. University of Hawai'i
Press.
Van Luyn, A. (2103). BA1002: Our Space: Networks,
narratives and the making of place, Lecture 4:Network Narratives. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au
Image Source
Image 1: http://networkcultures.org/wpmu/unlikeus/files/2012/03/who.png
Image 2: http://liedusoft.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/people-computers.jpg
Hello Tammy,
ReplyDeleteI can see your point of view in that Facebook users do have the real power in how their "story" is created and portrayed online. It is also apparent through reading your blog that the collaborative usage of Facebook through comments and posts add clarification and distinction to their "story". However, to paraphrase McNeill (2012) Facebook is selling the stories of its members in order to make their site a profitable business and to ensure the network keeps its status as a highly used and competitive virtual social network. I do not believe Facebook is really influencing our stories, but it is using them to its own advantage. As Ariella (2013) said in her lecture this week, the "notion of identity is the story of what happens to a particular body over time" which is still perfectly true of Facebook users.
References:
Van Luyn, A. (2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narratives and the Making of Place, Week 4 notes. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from: http://www.learnjcu.edu.au
McNeill, L. (2012). There is no "I" in network: Social networking sites and posthuman auto-biography. In Biography, 35(1), pp. 116. Retrieved from: http://www.learnjcu.edu.au
Thanks for your comment Rebecca :)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that Facebook has designed the space for their gain, through a targeted marketing strategy aimed at the individual user. It's only through this blog exercise that it has become more apparent (that is, I really didn't pay much attention to it before), but now all I see are the ads on the right hand side that address many elements of my life, from study, single parenting and even offering me dating services for men over 40! Still, just like the telemarketing company that has paid for my information, I can just ignore them: I still have that power (although the dating sites may come in handy one day, lol).