(Below is a reflective snippet from PB4 that Sasha, Zac and I are working on)

Identity is never set in concrete – it is very much so a social process. Therefore, it seems fitting that for this artwork, the various artists chose to explore the ways that social media diminishes or perhaps provokes ideas of self-identity. If you will, this ‘social-identity’ allows individuals to reflexively construct a personal narrative, thus giving them a certain power over their lives – albeit an online life.

The platform of social media allows one the opportunity to shape their image, enabling complete reconstructions of impressions… Or so is thought. Really, social media can be viewed as an extension of our ‘everyday-lives,’ a version of our existence where aspects are either exaggerated or hidden depending upon how we want others to perceive us. A recent study (Aboujaode, 2011) looking into the Theory of Digital Identity has proven just this. The participants of the study altered their identities on Facebook as to signify that they were ‘more’ than just the individuals in their respective occupations. Stay-at-home parents wanted it to be viewed as ‘successful’, Executives wanted to reveal their ‘cool’ side, Academics wanted to appear intellectual yet ‘laid-back and funny.’ This highlights the importance of self-monitoring and the evident embellishing of  existing personality traits.

Furthermore, the online world contains its own set of rules that users feel must be adhered to. In this sense, social expectations are just as important in the cyber world as they are in our physical space. For example, friends on Facebook who complain and brag constantly are unfriended quickly whilst the same beings in real life would be given more flexibility because one might have to physically see them often. The fact that Facebook also contains no ‘Dislike’ button provokes the notion that the space is meant to garner positivity, delineating that users may feel the need to impress or entertain others for approval.

In presenting ‘the self’ online, it can also be argued that audiences play a large role in the identities presented through social media platforms. Communication sites are all concerned with validation – validation from peers, co-workers and family members. This, of course, reiterates the previously stated idea that social media allows one to communicate who they want to be and not necessarily who they truthfully are.

All in all, control is what really creates a Digital Identity. Online symbols (such as text speak) and an implemented set of ‘rules’ help guide the user to how they behave and reveal themselves but this is just a fragment of an already established role. Rather than creating something false and disconnected, people merely project themselves on screen in a new light.

The sound recorder – such a small device yet so troubling at times. After clicking all the buttons, twisting the dials and pretending to be an Anchorwoman for a solid five minutes, our group headed out into the ruckus of le RMIT Campus… Which proved to be not that interesting at 9:45 on a Thursday morning.

Our content largely consisted of truck engines and construction works, with the additional conversation. A problem that became the general consensus for the class was attaining clear recordings since the wind and common activity of the campus kept interfering with the signal strengths.

I wouldn’t say that any of the recordings were of particular consequence and nor would I ever use them again but it was interesting to use a new piece of technology. I’m glad that for Project Brief 3 I rented the Sony MC50 instead of this device because I don’t think I’m much of a fan…

As Dan mentioned, these media artefacts are “just a bunch of kilobytes” until we attach them to stories for meaning.

With that being said, it was strange to see my peers delve into my work and try to get a better understanding of who I think I am. Until that point I didn’t realise how personal I was getting with the various representations of myself and to some extent, I felt exposed.

It’s flattering to hear that my work was honest but I had to stop and think to myself, is it? There’s so much I haven’t revealed or that I’ve kept secret and I’m not 100% certain whether these images truly reflect me. Haven’t we all just provided pieces of an identity that we may or may not have forged?

Before I get too philosophical and start sounding like a wanker, I guess that my next aim for the graded piece is to remain as abstract as I’ve been but perhaps through highlighting a different part of my life further…

What my friends and I found the most interesting was the fact that you can click on anyone’s blog and receive a general idea about them – all without ‘knowing’ them or recognising their face in the halls.

Introductions are difficult. What does one share with a group of virtual strangers? What is too much information or not enough information? Who do I want to construct myself to be? Hi, my name is Monaliza, I like new-wave French cinema, bad romance novels, musicals, beer, James Franco etc. etc. – all facts spliced together to create some sort of identity.

In this respect, it’s fitting that the first project brief consists of self-portraits, a topic which is omnipresent in this day of selfie culture. This is an opportunity to share who we think we are, and one that I am enthusiastic, though a little agitated, to explore. Humans have a tumult of faces that they present to the world – the respective masks they wear when with their friends, their work colleagues, class peers… So which is the one that I reveal through this project?

Moving beyond the front camera of my i-Phone to represent myself through various forms has my mind bursting with ideas but it’s a challenge to pick the right few and to place the proper pieces together. Marie McGrory of National Geographic establishes in her article, ‘The Un-Selfie: Taking Back the Self Portrait,’ that “[you don’t] need to see someone’s face to learn about their essence,” which is a quite serene statement. All of the qualities, talents and interests that we embody make us the people sitting in this classroom today – we are not merely physical beings that can be understood at a glance.