For this Blogpost, I interviewed my friend Khin.

1. I mainly use FaceBook, Instagram, Snap Chat, and Tumblr,
2. For Instagram, I use my real personality but I use a funny last name as a joke. I usually use my real name though
3. On Facebook I try to be socially aware and involved as well as formal, but on IG and SC it’s more personal and I keep a more relaxed tone. On Face book I use this persona because I have people added that I mutually know but don’t interact with because I want to portray myself as a respectful and professional. On IG and SC I remain true to my real identity because I only have people I know on there so I’m more relaxed.
4. I don’t use my digital persona to cope with my problems, nor does it create any problems for me.

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People use social media as an extension of themselves to interact with the world. As can be observed by my interview with my friend, some social media platforms are used to portray a certain person as opposed to other platforms, which depict a more nonchalant attitude as to how they present themselves. I use the word nonchalant instead of genuine because repressing certain ‘faces’ of your personality does not necessarily mean you’re not staying true to yourself. For example, Khin decides to be more formal on Facebook and more nonchalant on Instagram and Snapchat; that doesn’t necessarily mean that she expresses things on Facebook that she doesn’t believe; she just chooses to represent it in a different way. “The Internet is another element of the computer culture that has contributed to thinking about identity as multiplicity. On it, people are able to build a self by cycling through many selves.” (Turkle, 178) In the following video, Dave Carrol from Halifax Nova Scotia, explains how not only can social media be used to extend your personality, but your personal branding as well.

The use of social media in cyberspace enables the user to extend their presence beyond the physical. “However, the popularity of Second Life – a ‘game’ in which players are able to play out the immensely detailed everyday lives of their characters – is perhaps the most telling example of the ongoing quest for immersive out-of-body experiences.” (Athique 73). Just like the Second Life players, most online social media users try to recreate themselves in a certain image. In addition to portraying a different face of their identity, this online personality is also interactive. Other people have the ability to comment, share, like, etc. on other peoples posts, pics, statuses, etc. This creates interaction and experiences that aren’t necessarily physical; yet are very real. This online exchange gives the users out-of-body experiences that are initiated by their online extension of their personality. Despite these experiences and presences aren’t physical, people are still able to interact, act, and react in these cyberspaces. Whether it be physical or not, theres no denying that the online community has created an impact on the way people express themselves and create memorable experiences.

With that established, I want to ask you these questions:

1.) With the introduction of Virtual Reality, how do you think social media will integrate such technology?

2.) Is social media detrimental to the way people interact in real life (the physical world)?

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For this blog, I interviewed Dante, my best friend. He is teacher and a student
Me: Hi Dante, thanks for taking your time to help me.
Dante: Sure, let’s do it
Me: Ok, question number 1, what social media platforms and apps you use now and in the past?
Dante: Now, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Grinder, and in the past, I used hi5
Me: Do you use your real name or created a fake account?
Dante: Well, for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, I used my real name. For Grinder, not really, because is just to meet people.
Me: What different personas do you construct in each of these platforms and how do they relate to aspects of life experiences?
Dante: Mmmm, I can say that Facebook and Instagram are more intimate because my whole family and friends are both following me so they get to see everything I post. I do not use social media platforms for my job. But, with Grinder is different because I’m gay, I feel that is more personal and I do not use my real name here.
Me: Wow! thanks for sharing this with me (and my class) and last question, do the digital personas you construct help you cope with problems or create new ones?
Dante: For me, is all about being responsible to yourself and be smart of what you post, as we know, once you post something on the internet it will be there forever because someone my “copy and paste” your photo and share it with others, or quote anything that you say. One positive outcome of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp is that these social media platforms are helping me to stay connected with my family and friends in El Salvador. Now with Grinder, is just about meeting different guys and be social. I’m sure that other people are using Tinder so I think they’ll understand my point.
Me: Well, Dante that was our last question. Thanks for helping me.
Dante: Sure, anytime and good luck, you owed me a drink.

After this interview and our readings, I feel that somehow, we can all relate or understand our different points of views when it comes to social media and apps. We all have different thoughts about how, or why we choose to use social media and other apps. My understanding is that with each different app we do have a choice to be intimate or personal about our life. According to Sherry Turkle’s article “As a user, you are attentive to only one of the windows on your screen at any given moment, but in a sense you are a presence in all of them at all times” (page 13). I think today if anything we can call windows “apps” instead and regardless of which app we open, it is still us at the end.

Now a good thing about social media and apps is that they are helping people to express themselves, Adrian Athique on chapter 5 says “Participants in online forums were seen to compensate for the lack of social cues by expressing themselves in new ways” (page 69). This may explain why we are constantly active on our apps looking to see if we got some likes, or views on our profiles. I guess the lesson to learn is that for whatever reason we use these apps, either for intimate, personal or to express our emotions, we should be careful and keep in mind that everything that we post will be store somewhere.

Question # 1 For this, you have to watch the next YouTube video. Time: 0:48… Had you heard the term “Phantom Vibration Syndrome?” let me know if you ever experienced it?

Question #2 Had you ever helped a community by using a social media platform?

I interviewed my best friend, Will, who goes to New York University and studies hotel management. He has used several social media platforms such as myspace,snapchat,twitter,facebook, back when he was young and linkedin now that he is about to enter the labor force.Now he only uses facebook and linkedin because some of the platforms mentioned before has disappeared or are not in use nowadays.

Typically he uses his real name for these platforms so that people can communicate through them. But in the past he has used fake names for different accounts in facebook in order to gain benefits from various game entertainment websites. He did not use them in order to conduct fraud but he simply used them to gain advantages in various games.It shows how it is easy to duplicate one’s self in virtual reality. This digital liberation allow people to become multidimensional beings, something more than physical selves     (page 127).

Facebook, snapchat and Myspace are social media platforms that relate to his personal life so it shows more of his daily life. He uses them mainly to communicate with different people and show the gist of how he is living and his whereabouts. As stated in the reading, “the distinctive aspect of contemporary social media, is their capacity to integrate online social networks with those formed in the physical context of daily life(page174)”.In contrast, Linkedin is a social media platform which represents more of his business side. Anything job related would be shown on Linkedin such as abilities or special skillsets that can land jobs.

He thinks digital personas has and will create new problems because the representation from the personas can be perceived differently depending on the individual who goes through his social media. Back in highschool, he experienced and observed many cases in which social media personas were interpreted differently which caused as little as arguments to real fights. People hold grudges based on some of the actions that he has done. He thinks that sometimes people go overboard and exaggerate and criticize certain behavior and especially with the impact and influence social media platforms have, there will be more problems that will rise. He thinks nothing good comes out of social media and sharing.

Computer allows us to share everyday of our life that we talk, share ideas, and create communities. People often use Instagram to post their good experiences such as going to nice bars, restaurants, or having spa days. Those who follow these people could misunderstand and think that fancy life is just an ordinary life for them. However, they overlook the fact that the people who seem to have fancy life might havedifferent aspects of life. They could be just like people who loves to eat out spending all of money on restaurants but living in a small apartment. One frame of  picture on the virtual life does not define their entire daily life. People should be aware of this and should not feel relative depreation because of the “frame”.

1.  Have you ever met anyone who lives so differently on social media compared to thier real life?
2. Is there any social media that you want to get back that is no longer exists or popular?

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In today’s modern media world, everyone is bound to be tempted by creating aliases online and developing fake personalities. Perhaps, they aren’t even truly fake personas but rather an extension of one aspect of a person. Someone who may have a special talent or obsession may create an account that focuses on simply that topic and can explore it without judgment from peers or those in their “real life.” My friend is an example of someone who has used social media and online platforms to explore what she is passionate about. She asked to remain anonymous in order to feel more comfortable sharing her stories.

What social media apps do you most frequently use these days? What did you use most in the past?

            “When I was younger, probably around 12/13 years old I was really into Tumblr. I used to share a lot about my day and really thought of it as a blog. I don’t think I ever got popular but I did have more followers than most of my friends. I remember it used to sort of be a competition about who could get more and having like 200 or 300 was a really big deal back then. Now I don’t use it as much and use mostly twitter. I really like the short format of tweets and the interaction with my ‘mutuals’ is really great. I’ve made some great friends from there so I am definetly always on tweeting or retweeting and staying updated with my feed.”

Do you use your real name? Have you ever created aliases or fake accounts? Why?

            “I used to use my real name but I think when I got older and schools used to do a lot of “be careful about the Internet” seminars I became paranoid of people finding my social media and somehow finding me in real life. Then as I got even older I realized what I was doing online could be seen for, like, colleges or jobs to see if they liked me I was even more strict about keeping it private. I use usually nicknames for my profiles now or just a name I think is pretty at the time. Only a few close friends from my real life know my twitter account so its usually not a big deal.”

Do you have different personas online on your social media accounts?

“I have two twitters actually. One is my real, personal twitter with everything I nerd over and talk about real issues that bother me. The other one is the one I put on public for new friends or talk about things I find interesting that could be seen as professional. I don’t use it much but I thought it would make sense if a job is looking into me that they can see I at least have a social media account. It’s funny, the one that is real with my name is more fake to me than the one with a fake name.”

Does the digital persona of your ‘personal’ twitter help you cope with problems you face?

“Well, I don’t know if it, like, cures my problems but I can definitely be more honest. I can have really controversial issues that people on my facebook won’t want to see. Sometimes being different person or hiding behind a fake name helps me be honest with myself and let off steam. It also lets me enjoy the things I find interesting without being worried someone will see it and say “wow, she’s so weird for liking that so much” you know? It lets me be me without feeling nervous someone will judge me.”

Do you think we are able to be our truest selves when we aren’t in fear of being judged by others? Are relationships built online just as valid as those made in the ‘real’ world?

I am interviewing my younger sister, Nekesha. She is a 21 year old college student who is interested in becoming an actor.

She speaks on using all  social media platforms, however some more than others. Snapchat is what she uses most frequently, she likes the idea of not having to think to hard about your posts. She likes the facts that stories will disappear after 24 hours, and there is a sense of intimacy with what you are sharing to others .

The only platform where Neksha uses her full real name is; mainly because they require it. Right now her current Instagram is simply @Nekeesh because she likes the simplicity of still using part of her name yet not giving everything to people online. Also being an actor she is constantly thinking of how she wants her stage name to be represented in the future, and tries out different variations of her own name all the time.
Nekesha agrees that each of her social media account definitely show a different persona of who she is. Facebook is more family friendly; here she is more likely to upload a whole album of vacation photos and keep old friends and family members updated on what is going on in her life. Instagram however is just pictures so she tries to show herself at the best angle. This of course this means lots of selfies and pictures from exotic locations whenever she goes on trips. She also has accounts solely for work, such as Backstage a popular website used by up and coming actors and producers in the business. Her she uploads her acting resume and recent headshots and what her goals are for her career.

Nekesha admits that personas she sees on social media can be a blessing and a course. In a way they inspire her; it allows her to see how others use certain platforms such as Instagram to launch themselves as a brand, which is admirable. At the same time, sometimes constantly following the success of others can be a little bit intimidating. At times you find yourself comparing yourself to theirs, and comparing their success to yours. She admits it is sometimes to good to get away from social media and focus on what makes you happy.

Speaking with Nekesha really made me think about not just my presence online but the people who I connect with online as well. According to Turkle, “Cyberspace is made up of communities, virtual communities, in which we participate with people all over the world, people with who we converse daily, people with whom we may have fairly intimate relationships but whom we may never physically meet (pgs. 9-10). The online community has allowed us to be much more open to the world around us then we were previously. We no longer need to be face to face in order to connect with others, we can do it right from the comfort of out own home. And if we do not feel comfortable in our own space virtual reality allows us to create our own version of life ar times. 

In chapter five Atique states “participants in online forums were seen to compensate for the lack of social cues by expressing themselves in new ways, such as the early use of emoticons to provide a graphical representation of the mood of the writer”,(Atique,118). This point further proves that people use online forums as a medium to express themselves especially when it comes to creativity and sharing common interests. As time goes on people are finding more and more ways to use cyberspace in a posit i.e. Way to show off their talent or connect with people with similar interests.

QUESTIONS

1. Do you feel pressure to show your accomplishments on social media and prove yourself to others?

2. Are there any social media platforms you dislike and use solely because it is popular?

I interviewed one of my best friends, who, I will mention in advance, does not have multiple personalities. She simply embraces personas of characters out of comic books, cartoons, animes, even to real life people, that resembles her. It really is not that hard to adopt a persona either. Although I wouldn’t pick personas as randomly as what I linked, but she would find someone or something that would do things and say things as she would. And often she tells me who I resemble, and usually our friendship looks like a yin and yang, “opposites attract” kind of friendship.

Eevees: She’s Umbreon, I’m Sylveon. Adventure Time: She’s Marceline, I’m P.B. Sailor Moon: She’s Mercury, and I’m Venus.

She answers the questions as:

1. I’ve used almost everything in the past, but now I balance out Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr.
2. I have accounts with my alias Spencer ____ ___ to avoid people finding me and to keep family separate from friends. My Instagram and Tumblr also use the alias “Spencer”. Plot twist: Her (yes, her) real name is not Spencer.
3. Most of my accounts are still under Spencer, but within those accounts I get friends who tag me with something that reminds them of me. From there, I act as myself, but link myself to the persona of what they’re tagging me in. So for example, we were tagged in a post about the different Eevees from Pokemon. I am Umbreon, the dark eevee, and you are Sylveon, the fairy eevee.
4. Besides being “Spencer,” I do have other accounts for social media, but those act as my escape when even being “Spencer” doesn’t stop people from finding me. But again, my personality stays consistent, but I guess the way I write changes in formality depending on my mood?

I’d like to argue that having personas do not equate to have different identities, in person or online. From this mini interview, it shows that she is still herself, but she sees herself in the forms of characters or people that acts like her identification. From that, she is able to find ways to find a common interest among her friends, even with me when we first met. This relates to the quote “Online communicators became more skilled in expressing themselves in ways that were variously more conversational, clear and conciliatory. (Athique, p.69)” When I had to mention that she was someone who does not have multiple personality disorder, it is because it seems like it’s overwhelming for her to take on so many personas, at least 10 personas that I can recall from the top of my head. All of which have a common trait, physically or personality-wise or even aesthetically. Turkle gave herself two different personas as French-speaking Sherry, who is her own person, and English-speaking Sherry, who is timid and shy, which came to be because of her mother’s death (Turkle, p.209). This contrasts my friend, who stays consistent in her many personas. Although I never really questioned why she became “Spencer,” despite having an average name, she’s still my best friend. One person, two names, many personas. (cheesy I know)

So with this I end:

1. Does having a persona change your perception on having different identities, in real life or online?
2. If you found a character, celebrity, anything that resembles you, how would you determine this and would you associate yourself to that persona in real life?

For this assignment I interviewed my roommate Drew Weiss. Drew is 23 years old, an aspiring filmmaker, and attends the School of Visual Arts in NYC.

Q: What social media platforms and apps they have used now and in the past?

DW: “In the past I mainly used MySpace and occasionally commenting on a website forum post. Now my three main social media apps are Facebook, Instagram, and twitter.”

Q: Do they use their real name(s)? Have they ever used aliases or created fake accounts? Why?

DW: “In high school I used to randomly change my Facebook name to something outrageous just for fun. No intention of forming any aliases or making it seem like I had a fake account.”

Q: What different personas do they construct in each of these platforms and how do they relate to aspects of their experiences in life?

DW: “Being the aspiring filmmaker that I am I mainly use social media as a way to showcase my work. It allows me to talk directly and network throughout the industry. I try to show a more professional persona when doing this.”

Q: “Do the digital personas they construct help them cope with the problems they face or do they create new problems? In what ways?

DW: “I would definitely say my online persona helps me out in my life problems. If I ever need to find an actor for one of my films I can easily go onto Instagram and try to contact someone.”

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Turkle’s readings relate very well to Drew and his relationship with social media. “We have used our relationships with technology to reflect on the human.” (Turkle, Pg. 24) Sherry is referring to the major changes humans have had to adjust too because of technological advancement. Drew’s use of digital media allows others to see his talent of filmmaking that would not have been possible if it wasn’t for social media.

Athique talks about in chapter 7 how ordinary people were the reasons in evolution of the internet. “The conventions of digital interaction emerged organically through millions of informal social interactions.” (Athique, Ch. 7, Pg. 98)  Reading the interview above you are able to tell that Drew is part of those informal social interactions. With the networking he does online just from talking to other people about what he loves you can see the platform grow from it.

What ways do you use social media to benefit you? How impactful will digital advancement be in our lives?