Our
sense of self is intrinsically connected to the place that we belong to; such
as a city we live in, or our neighbourhood. So, who are we? Do we write our own narrative
for ourselves, or do we write our own narrative for others to deconstruct? How
much does this change, depending on our place in the world?
 |
| Social media network connection concept [Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://us.123rf.com/450wm/cienpies/cienpies1104/cienpies110400016/9262885-social-media-network-connection-concept.jpg?ver=6 |
In
the late 20th century, post-humanism proposed critical theories
about the role societies play in developing who we are (Kuttainen, 2017). When
we go online, we are able to construct our life narrative within a virtual
society, as social networking sites today have become communities not unlike
the ones that exist in the real world.
Although
the focus of McNeill (2012)’s research uses Facebook as an example, the theme
of our online presence becoming a framework of narratives about the self and
others (pp. 78- 79), which I have found applies to my experience with
communicating with various users from different parts of the globe this week. Many
films that have an important emphasis on the place they are set in such as
Boston, Massachusetts in The Departed (2006). Letterboxd users from Boston
resonate with a film set in the community they live in, which influences their
expanding networked narratives online through discovering other users who live
down the road. Therefore, it has become clear to me that Letterboxd is operates
as a virtual global neighbourhood for film lovers, connecting through their
frameworks.
Furthermore,
if social networks insist that our identity construction relies on our categories
of interest such as music, books, films and television (McNeill, 2012, pp.
68-69), perhaps we could view this as a positive thing. Although one
potentially play a game of “truth or false” when comparing our virtual
autobiography to our real world autobiography; our sense of self will always
remain influenced by our place in society. Exploring the post-humanist lens in
relation to social networks, McNeill (2012) supports the notion that the
existence of virtual spaces influences our sense of identity construction,
allowing us reconsider our life narratives (pp. 65 – 66).
In
this digital age we are able to expand within an online community and connect
with people who share similar interests to us. Moreover, Jim Rawson succinctly
proposes the positive approach that, “by introducing our friends to each other,
we become connectors and creators of virtual communities…we can change the
world”.
Signing
up to Letterboxd has encouraged me to reconsider my hesitant approach towards sharing
my interests online. Social networking never seemed much different to text
messaging to me, so I avoided creating accounts for popular social media
websites. In the growing digital age, it can be beneficial to immerse yourself
in a virtual community and construct your own network narrative
Reference List
Kuttainen,
V. (2017). BA1002: Our space: Networks,
narratives and the making of place, lecture 6: Robots [PowerPoint slides].
Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au
McNeill, L. (2012). There is no “I” in network: Social networking sites and posthuman auto/biography. University of Hawai’I Press, 35(1), 65-82. doi: https://doi.org/10.1353/bio.2012.0009
Rawson,
J. [TEDx Talks]. (2015, April 9). Virtual
communites and social media, [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5txst5mOywM
Social
media network connection concept [Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://us.123rf.com/450wm/cienpies/cienpies1104/cienpies110400016/9262885-social-media-network-connection-concept.jpg?ver=6
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