View my entry on Sexual_Identity_Online
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By Femke Mason, Student Number: 04112474
As a final year Creative Industries Interdiscplinary student, Femke Mason has undertaken majors in Journalism, Communication and Public Relations. This degree will provide her with the required skills of all three areas, offering a multi-skilled and interdisciplinary approach to the workplace. After working in public relations firm, Wordwerx Public Relations in 2001, Femke moved into the health industry undertaking work in a medical reception role. This position has provided her with a strong knowledge base in the psychiatric industry and she hopes to utilise this knowledge by pursuing full time work within the health industry upon graduation. Utilising her skills from QUT, Femke hopes to enter into event management and conference organisation for the health industry.
This year, Femke has also had the opportunity to work on QUT's first student fashion magazine, Verve. This magazine will be launched for the first time on October 20th 2004 for local, national and international distribution. Enjoying this experience immensely, Femke hopes to continue writing by submitting freelance work to travel and fashion magazines in particular.
Defining Identity Online and Specifically Exploring the Construction of Gender (and/or Sexuality where applicable) as an Online Identity
1. Capurro, R., and Pingel, C. (2002) “Ethical Issues of Online Communication Research,� Ethics and Information Technology, no.4, pp.189-194.
This journal article analyses the ethical concerns that online communication, including identities, present to researchers in this area. While the article is specifically in relation to online research, its discussion of online identity presents interesting theoretical concepts of the subject. The brief section on online identity raises the question of the metaphysical and ontological concepts about identity, with the first defined in relation to substance and appearance, and the latter presenting the idea of altering identities in response to situations. Despite its fairly short length and somewhat different focus, the section on online identity in this article poses the question of what constitutes as identity; a question that must be analysed when addressing the topic chosen.
2. Crowell, A. (1999, Sept. 9) “Your Online Identity: Researchers Study Human Interaction Online Through Game Played in Virtual Community�, Georgia Research Tech News, retrieved August 7, 2004, from http://gtresearchnews.gatech.edu/newsrelease/TGAME.html.
While this article is more likely a media release than news article, it highlights an interesting development in the study of online identity. Though quite brief, the article discusses the research work of a computing doctoral student that has resulted in the launch of “The Turing Game�, an online game designed to analyse and gain insight into virtual community and identity. The article highlights the importance of understanding virtual identity during an era where online experience is becoming a greater part of one’s socialisation. While the article does primarily explain the game, it offers a more practical analysis of identity examination and the potential for altering online communities to avoid prejudicial experiences that may be common in the physical world.
3. Fernback, J. (1997) “The Individual Within the Collective: Virtual Ideology and the Realisation of Collective Principles�, in S. Jones (ed.) Virtual Culture: Identity & Communication in Cybersociety, London: SAGE Publications Ltd., pp. 36-54. ISBN 0761955267 (paperback)
In this chapter "The Individual Within the Collective" Fernback explores the ideas of online communities and how individuals function within these. Specifically, Fernback analyses computer-mediated communication (CMC) users and their role within the public sphere. By examining these online communities through the theoretical notions of Habermas’ public sphere, in the first seven pages particularly, Fernback is able to demonstrate the capacity of online identity to supersede the inequalities of the physical world. Like Green (1997), Fernback agrees that while online identity promotes freedom from prejudice, she also argues that within online communities this individuality can be suppressed in favour of a ‘united front’. In the second part of this chapter, Fernback seeks to address a balance between online individuality and community. In closing she concludes that while reinforcement of existing social structures may hinder online community, the opportunity for individual expression and reinvention of identity to challenge these structures, creates the potential for reconstruction of these ideals.
4. Green, N. (1997) “Beyond Being Digital: Representation and Virtual Corporeality�, in D. Holmes (ed.) Virtual Politics: Identity & Community in Cyberspace, London: SAGE Publications Ltd, pp. 59-78. ISBN 0761956107 (paperback)
In Chapter 3, Green explores the idea of “virtual embodiment� and how technology frees users to create new personas or identities in response to certain situations. The chapter analyses the infinite possibilities that virtuality represents, particularly in its capabilities of offering wide-ranging experiences and emotions that may be far more difficult in the physical world. Green argues that in the virtual world, construction of identity is left to imagination and desires, with the physical reality of one’s true self, left behind. As she states (1997, p.61), ‘‘imagination’ becomes the driving force in the production and consumption of digital worlds’. Green confronts growing scepticism of the validity and harmful risks of virtual worlds and online identity construction, and raises the notion that in fact users do control their experiences and have an opportunity to recreate and reorganise social structure. The chapter argues that online identity has the capacity to bypass usual social boundaries and structures to reconstruct the notions of power and equality. However, Green does maintain that while there is some transcending of social boundaries, virtual reality and socialisation ultimately remains bound to the inequalities of the physical world.
5. Jordan, T. (1999) Cyberpower: The Culture and Politics of Cyberspace and the Internet, London: Routledge, Chapter 3, pp.59-100.ISBN 0415170788 (paperback)
Chapter 3 explores a number of ideas surrounding virtual identity, but in particular, raises the idea of identity construction through acceptance. Jordan argues that while users can create their traits and looks online, identity remains defined by other users and relates to others acceptance or rejection of the created identity. He goes on to further discuss the tangible link between online and offline identity, despite the Internet’s perceived reputation for complete anonymity. Jordan draws on the idea of “identity fluidity� (1999, p.78) whereby he distinguishes between online identity as “avatar� and offline as an “identity�, but simultaneously makes the important claim that the two remain interchangeable and certain characteristics will ultimately be shared between these two identities. Jordan believes that despite virtuality freeing one from features that may disadvantage them in real life, even in the virtual world some will be further advantaged than others. In a brief case study he demonstrates the relationship between one’s offline capacities and the online consequences of these. Similarly, he highlights the likelihood of revealing features of one’s offline identity when entering certain situations and conversations. Jordan makes the important point of realising the interrelationship between on and offline identity despite one’s desire to escape the realities of the physical world.
6. McRae, S. (1996) “Flesh Made Word: Sex, Text and the Virtual Body�, in D. Porter (ed.) Internet Culture, New York: Routledge, pp. 73-86. ISBN 0415916844 (Paperback)
This chapter offers an interesting insight into the capacities the Internet presents for sexual experience online, and the opportunity to alter one’s sexual identification. Through numerous case studies and discussion of Multi User Dimensions/Dungeons (MUDs), McRae explores the emotional repercussions and feelings associated with identity alteration. While concentrating on sexuality and sexual acts, the chapter recognises the role of the Internet in presenting users with an environment that is perceived as less intimidating and thus uninhibited towards new and different experiences. Like the other texts discussed, McRae also notes that a lack of physical presence seemingly encourages users to pursue ideas and experiences in the virtual world that they may be unlikely to do normally (in the physical world). Interestingly, in conclusion McRae raises the notion of lived experience versus virtual experience and the proof that some experiences and emotions must be real and lived to be truly appreciated.
7. Silberman, S. (1994) “We’re Teen, We’re Queer, and We’ve Got Email�, in R. Holeton (ed.) Composing Cyberspace: Identity, Community and Knowledge in the Electronic Age, Boston: McGraw Hill, pp. 116 –120. ISBN 0070295484
This article offers another side to the discussion of online identity by highlighting the Internet’s capabilities to reveal true identities that in the “real� world may be hidden. The article discusses the prevalence of online journals as a forum for people to reveal things about themselves that may be judged and discriminated in another setting. In this instance, the focus is on a young teenage boy who was able to use the Internet to reveal his true identity (that he is homosexual). This form of online identity challenges the criticisms of virtuality by highlighting the benefits of freedom of speech, and ability to suppress or celebrate orientation, race, etc without the persecution that could occur in daily living. While the article does raise the concern of predators that may alter their identity for negative purposes, it aims to demonstrate the Internet as a place where one’s online identity can be a true, real depiction of one’s self. This article offers another angle with which to contrast those previously described by offering a different and intriguing argument to the ‘identity in a virtual world’ discussion.
8. Surkan, K. (2000) “The New Technology of Electronic Text: Hypertext and CMC in Virtual Environments –Identity and CMC (Final Chapter)�, retrieved August 10, 2004, from http://english.cla.umn.edu/GraduateProfiles/KSurkan/etext/etable.html
In raising the issue of emotional and mental repercussions of online identity and online identity deception, this article offers an interesting view of the actions that occur over the Internet in the exploration of identity. The author presents an argument that encourages readers to further analyse the implication of online deception and discusses the lack of authority over the Internet. While the article is a dissertation for PhD studies, it presents a wide range of angles through which to examine identity construction and its implications on the Internet. The article also makes particular efforts to explain the “virtual community� and the problems arising from “lurking� (not contributing to conversation enough) and “passing� (whereby one take’s on another alternate gender or trait). The article highlights numerous practical accounts based on experiences had on the Internet, providing real life examples that typify the arguments discussed throughout most of the books analysed for this topic.
9. Thurlow, C., Lengel, L. and Tomic, A. (2004) Computer Mediated Communication: Social Interaction and the Internet, London: SAGE Publications Ltd, Strand 2, Unit 2, pp. 95-106. ISBN 0761949542 (paperback)
The chapter entitled "Online Identity" presents its reader with a contextualised notion of identity in the 21st century. The authors bring to light the idea of identification as opposed to identity in a time where people constantly change who they are in response to the environment they are in, while also discussing the idea of identity as a “lifelong project�. The chapter explores identity as a constant reinvention in response to how one wishes to be perceived by others, an action, according to the authors, that is represented in both the on and offline worlds. By analysing identity as a whole through the Johari Window, (a tool for examining communication and identity), the authors conclude that, in fact, on and offline identity are interchangeable and contribute towards the ongoing process of one’s identification. The authors argue that there is no distinction between the identities constructed in the virtual world as opposed to the physical world, rather believing that identity is contextual and it is irregardless of whether these constructions take place on or offline. This chapter is interesting in comparison to other texts for its determination that there is no difference in the on and offline construction of identity.
10. Westfall, J. (2000) “What is cyberwoman? The Second Sex in cyberspace�, Ethics and Information Technology, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 159-166.
This article presents a somewhat contrasting and alternate view to those previously discussed. While Westfall supports the idea of disembodiment and its opportunity to present genderless, judgement free identities, the author believes this very same detachment from the physical world in fact makes the virtual experience unreal. Indeed, Westfall argues that within the cyber world, identity and the idea of virtual life experiences is a complete construction by the individual user and cannot be detached as a different experience to that of the physical world. By analysing the notions offered by Simone de Beauvoir’s, The Second Sex, (1949) in which the idea of “what is female?� is explored, Westfall discuses the implications of gender on the Internet and the innate connection between the physicality of gender and its perception by others. Westfall argues that by utilising the opportunities presented by virtuality in order to suppress one’s true identity (including gender) is a choice by the user to oppress their true self. In fact, Westfall goes as far as quoting de Beauvoir in his text (2000, p. 164) to analogise the use of online identity as “a running from the inescapable ambiguity of human existence�. By analysing the essential link between one’s physicality and its relation to identity, Westfall presents an interesting examination of the true validity of online identity and whether one’s online experiences can indeed be counted as real.
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