When thinking about identities in social media I have one friend who came into my head immediately. Her name is Louis. It’s not her birth given name but, what is often referred to in the Asian community as her “English name”. She is a big social media user with over 600 followers on Instagram social media is a big part of her life. In this interview, we take a sneak peek into her social media identity.
Q.What social media platforms and apps do you use now? What platforms have you used in the past?
A.“Currently I use Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. I used to use Myspace and Twitter but not anymore?
Q. What made you stop using Myspace and Twitter?
A.“Myspace got old, as the trend changes you have to change with it. And Twitter I just found extremely confusing I didn’t understand the point of it, I still don’t.”
Q. On the social media platforms that you use do you put your real name? Have you ever created a fake account?
A.“On some platforms I use my real name, Facebook has my Korean name, Instagram has my English, and Snap chat has a variation of my English name. Have I ever created a fake account? Of course, I have!
Q. What did you use the fake account for?
A.“I’ve made fake Facebook accounts before. One as a girl and one as a guy. I used them for the same purpose. Have you ever seen a girl on Facebook who thinks that she is all that? It’s so annoying. I made a fake account and named the guy Jeffrey he was really good looking and I would use my fake accounts to comment on these girl’s pictures and tell them that they weren’t all that but I did that when I was much younger.”
Q. Do you feel like you have different personas on each platform, a different version of yourself that relates to your experiences in life?
A.“Definitely! On each of these platforms I was able to find myself. Facebook shows the innocent me, I go to church, I volunteer, and I can be professional. On Instagram, I’ve learned to get creative. I make funny videos and make people laugh. Part of me is over there. Lastly snap chat is my real day to day craziness my big moments my small moments I feel I found my importance.
Q. Do these different platforms help you cope with any problems that you face? Does it give you any problems.
A.“I would say that cope is a very strong word. I guess I could that its helps me though. It helps me connect with other people, if I’m feeling sad a can watch a funny video, you can get compliments that will make you feel like your amazing, it gives me company. It allows me to be my real self. I would say that it does give me some problems in that it can sometimes be addictive. It also makes you lose your sense of contentment, when I see other people and their fabulous lives and you think why can’t I live like that.”
Q. Last question, so would you say that social media is important to you?
A.”It is important to me. It helps me keep connected with all my friends, know what’s going on, a means for sharing my thoughts. When you meet me you can’t see all parts of me at once. But through social media you can you can see all of me.”
Whenever I am with my friend she is always ready to upload everything on social media. From the interview I could see how social media is actually important for her. Before she used social media to make fun of others but she later moved passed that and began to develop herself. I personally do not post of social media much but hearing her answers makes me wonder how I could also changed if I used media more of an expressive outlet.
Turkle Mentions this in “Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet. That it is now through the internet that people are finding who they are. People who are shy are finding way to talk to people be social, throw parties, even go after romantic relationships. When talking about the way that windows describe us she says “you identity on the computer is the sum of your distributed presence” (pg 13). Just like my friend her windows are the social media platforms that she uses. Each one is a collective sum of who she is. Through these platforms she has been able to develop herself, find who she real is to herself. The things she likes what she doesn’t her values.
Social Media is a powerful thing. It is a world within our world. In Turkle’s Aspects of the self there is a story about a man named Stewart. In his real life he was held back there were so many things that he wanted to do but had no means to. In the world of the internet he insists “that he does not role play, but that MUDs simply allow him to be a better version of himself” (page 193). For many people in this digital era it is amazing to see how the internet has either shown a person the better version of them or hold within it the better version of themselves.
Questions: Do you think that it is sad or wrong that a person lives their life loving the version of themselves that is on the internet more than the one in RL?
Do you think that if you used social media more you would find the real you, a part of you that you didn’t know was their or get addicted by the internet fame.
The statement that stuck out to the most from your friend Louis is when she said that social media helped her find herself. This highlights the positives and benefits that comes along with having a social media account. I liked the fact that social media helped her identify aspects of who she is and the different aspects she wants to show based on the platform. Social media has allowed others to showcase the many sides of them that are not as obvious.
Overall I can see that you really tried to drag out as much information from your friend Louis as possible. That allows you to get some very in depth info for the readers. I loved the Turkle line you used because it is very true and I even saw that when I was conducting my interview. Very nice!
I really liked your first question, “Do you think that it is sad or wrong that a person lives their life loving the version of themselves that is on the internet more than the one in RL?” I know it can be difficult to answer it but it left me thinking about it. I believe people can sometimes be their most honest and full selves online, so I can see why they would love that version more than the one in real life. However, it’s always important to have a balance between online and real life, and everyone should themselves not just online but also in person. I think people should take what they discover about themselves online, a passion or a talent, and find a way of bringing it to their real life and loving themselves for that.
The internet frenzy can sometimes create a wrong illusion about someone that if not well managed can make surpass our “real” us. The use of internet can make one rediscover the other side of us especially when we are defined by fame through the many following we likely to attract along the way. Indeed, it is wrong to love the version of us on internet more than we love our real us.