Interview:

MY BEST FRIEND: ALICIA M. COLON

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

Social Media- Now: Instagram and Snapchat ; Past: Facebook and Myspace

Apps- Now: Chase, Credit Karma, Gmail, SoundCloud, Shazam, Blackboard, and Dictionary ; Past: Uber (She has a car now)

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

She uses her first and middle name (Alicia May), not her last name. She never used any fake accounts or assumed a fake identity. She thinks it is a waste of time.

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

On social media, she exhibits a fun and outgoing persona, which is who she is. We all go to music festivals and other musical events, which in a way defines us.

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

She does not create any personas she is not. She is completely fine and confident with who she is. She is happy and does not feel the need to pretend to be someone else and if anything, she is more goofy in person than on social media. She rather have someone get to know her better in person rather than online. She only shows partially of who she is on social media, the other part of her is presented in real life.

———————-

For Turkle’s article I focused on Stewart and his experience with MUD. I would have to say that it is obvious that Alicia and Stewart are completely different people, except in age (they are both 23 years old). Unfortunately, Stewart is not healthy like Alicia is, therefore he cannot experience everything he would like to in the real world, and invests over 40 hours weekly in playing MUD, which Alicia would not. In Stewarts case, is it okay or reasonable to play and transport yourself to a virtual reality 40 hours a week?

Turkle states in his article: “It seems misleading to call what he does there [MUD] playing. He spends his time constructing a life that is more expansive than the one he lives in physical reality” (193). This shows how different Stewart and Alicia are. Stewart is not content or happy with his physical life, while Alicia is. Alicia goes out and does whatever she would like to experience and enjoy herself, while Stewart is limited, and because of that he depends on a virtual reality.

In chapter 5, Athique states: “In the distinctive out-of-body experience of online gaming, the body once again takes centre stage in a symbolic form” (pg. 73), this is what Stewart does. He transports himself to another reality, one where he is not limited by his physical abilities. Alicia would enjoy a game or virtual reality world where she could do anything, but she rather live it than live a life behind a screen. Athique also later states: On it [the Internet], people are able to build a self by cycling through many selves” (178), which is what Stewart is able to do and experience when playing MUD.

An article on virtual reality gaming got me thinking about how the gaming industry is booming, and has been for some time. Virtual reality games are seeping into the picture. 3D gaming is something that is cool in the industry, but as we always do, we take it further—we want a virtual reality as well. As our technology becomes more advanced, it seems we want to find more ways in which we can become devoured by our screens. Is it good? Is it bad? I would say for some. Like all technology, I would say it really depends on how you use it. It’s about how much technology can draw you in and consume you.

All this talk about virtual realities in games made me think of an episode of Law & Order: SVU (a  clip of a scene below), where a couple became obsessed with video games, they would play all the time, so involved in it that they would disregard the real world. Gaming took over their lives. It got me thinking how video games and virtual realities are an addiction for some, so are video games and virtual realities possibly a technological drug?