Identity tourism: Essay + video

When I was a kid, I used to want to be a lot of things; an archeologist, a pirate, or even a viking princess. I used to play games with my brother and pretend to be somebody or something totally different. Pretend to have this exciting life, full of adventures that I would carry out with extraordinary friends. We've all experienced that.

A. Krotoski cites Sheryl Turkle in one of her articles; «Play has always been an important aspect of our individual efforts to build identity". I found this interesting because nowadays, even as adults the internet is not just a 'playground' but a place where we can continue exploring our own identity, and learn important lessons that can be transferred to our offline lives.

Our group video explores the idea of identity tourism in an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) such as World of Warcraft. How people create new personas for themselves and get involved in an online parallel life.

WoW is one of the most popular MMORPGs in the world. It is made by Blizzard Entertainment and has now existed for more than ten years. Based in a fantasy world, it has its own mythology. And much like ours, different races/species inhabit it, with their own lands, styles and languages.

Players first need to choose their avatar; who they want to be. Once the race is chosen, they need to add gender and start customising their character's appearance. They will then give them a profession and place in this world. Finally they will send them on extraordinary and usually heroic quests.

Nick Yee, a research scientist at Ubisoft, studying gamer behaviour, explains on his online survey 'The Daedalus Project', the demography, motivations and relationships encountered in these types of game:

First of all, surprisingly, the types of people playing these games are very diverse. He talks about the average age of MMORPG players being around 26. With people from totally different backgrounds and ages. This obviously entails a vast spectrum of players, who will have different motivations and tactics in the play. Each player will choose a particular avatar for various reasons, depending on their own temperament; « Introverted players tend to create characters that are projections or idealizations of themselves, while extraverted players tend to experiment with new identities through their characters […] Players driven by achievement focus more on the power and effectiveness of their avatar’s equipment, while players driven by socialization or immersion are more focused on their avatar’s appearances.»

Gender also plays an interesting role, as female players will apparently tend to choose characters such as priests, or druids. Men on the other hand will generally choose warriors for e.g. What we choose to be in these games seems to generally be a direct reflection of our character.

However, some players are more adventurous and choose avatars that on the contrary do not. There is a lot of what is called 'gender bending' in MMORPGs. Yee, talks about half of all female avatars actually being played by men, and oddly enough usually for tactical reasons. Male players are apparently more generous with female characters, and tend to come to their aid more wilfully. It seems that women and men's stereotypes are amplified in games like WoW. It is strange to see that, as I understand it, sexism is still very much present and more obvious during play. For some reason, 'female players' (who evidently once out of twice are men) are considered weaker than their male counterparts. There are also talks of sexual advances, which I find very hard to understand, especially in games based on anonymity.

Amy S. Bruckman while talking about earlier MUDs (Multi-user dungeon) gives us the testimony of an online gender-bender :

"Back when I had time for MUD, I, too, played female characters.  I found it extraordinarily interesting.

It gave me a slightly more concrete understanding of why some women say, "Men suck." 

It was both amusing and disturbing."
However, some time has passed since then, so hopefully it has changed!!
 Another thing that is interesting about MMORPGs is that you can actually be whatever you want

to be. Whether you are a 13 year old boy, or a 50 year old woman, there are no limits to what you can 

achieve and become in the game. 
Yee explains that « MMORPGs offer [for example] teenagers a safe space for

identity and role exploration. Where else can a teenager lead a group of players who are most likely all 

older than him? More importantly, these environments can empower players in ways that transfer to 

the real world, and not only for teenagers. »
He also talks about trust between players. About how sometimes people confide in each other more 

easily than in real life. Maybe because of anonymity at first but also because of their shared experience, 

and the respect they have for each other in the game. WoW is a roller-coaster of emotions that can be 

transferred as Yee says into real life. People connect in situations like these even if after all none of 

their adventures are 'real' (part of real life).
However as for most things there is a dark side to MMORPGs such as WoW. One of the main 

characteristics of games like these is the fact that they are ongoing. You need to play on a regular 

basis in order to keep your character evolving and getting better. Apparently 50percent of players 

consider themselves as addicted, and if unable to connect can suddenly become depressed, anxious 

or enraged.
 In conclusion, we all pretend or pretended at some point or another, to be somebody else. 

MMORPGs are just another platform where we can explore yet another of our masks. And if done 

correctly, with moderation, can even help with our personal growth.


 

Reference list:

Nick Yee (no date) 'The Daedalus Project' Available at http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/gateway_intro.html (Accessed : 12/12/2012)

Aleks Krotoski (2011) 'Online identity: Can we really be whoever we want to be?' The Guardian, 19 june, [online]. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/19/aleks-krotoski-online-identity-turkle (Accessed : 12/12/2012 )

Amy S. Bruckman (1993) 'Gender Swapping on the Internet' 

Available at http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~asb/papers/gender-swapping.txt (Accessed : 12/12/2012)

And here is the video! 

Politics

I got a mail from Avaaz today asking me to sign a petition against authoritarian regimes trying to control our internet. The web has been an incredible source of free exchange and information. It is a platform where the people have a voice. When we could be kept in the dark about some of the most important decisions our leaders were making now we have access to sites such as Wikileaks. Amy Goodman (2011) writes that “WikiLeaks was officially launched in 2007 in order to receive leaked information from whistleblowers, using the latest technology to protect the anonymity of the sources. The organisation has increasingly gained global recognition with the successive publication of massive troves of classified documents from the US government relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and thousands of cables from the US embassies around the world. »

Plus with social networks like twitter or facebook, it's become easier for the people to talk about what is really happening and sometimes communicate and take course of action. We can now get detailed accounts of a revolt happening on the other side of the world. However, it is only predictable that certain governments try and stop this freedom of communication as things can rapidly get out of hand for them.

Reference list:

www.avaaz.org/en/hands_off_our_internet_i/?bNhbedb&v=20018

(Accessed : 10/12/2012)

Amy Goodman (2011) 'The world owes a debt to WikiLeaks' whistleblowing' The Guardian, 06 July, [online]. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jul/06/julian-assange-wikileaks

( Accessed : 10/12/2012)

Health

A few months ago, I woke up with this pain in my rib cage. Actually, I couldn't figure out where it was hurting exactly; was it coming from my back? Or maybe my lungs, ( I am a smoker after all) or even my breasts? But in either of these cases what was it? What was wrong with me?

And like many people, I rushed online, in search of an answer:

Ok... So here we go, these are my symptoms... and I... have... LUNG CANCER!

I ended up only having muscle pains from having exercised on a rowing machine the day before...

But more to the point, I hear more and more about people self-diagnosing in the same way.

But is it such a good idea? And isn't this changing our relationship with our local GPs?

Aleks Krotosky (2011), in the series 'Untangling the web', talks about an international healthcare survey made by Bupa and the London School of Economics. One of the conclusions of this was that « more of us than ever are using the web to find out more about an ailment before or instead of visiting the doctor. More health-related websites, tools and social networks are available to support this demand. And, most alarmingly, only a quarter of the people surveyed checked the reliability of health information they found online by looking at the credibility of the source. »

All this surplus of information is something we have to learn to filter. We have to use it in an intelligent way. Although it is true that certain of these forums are somehow comforting, making us feel like we are not alone. We still have to be careful, and remember that maybe consulting a professional directly as well, even if it is not as straight forward, is probably best in the end.

Reference list:

Aleks Krotoski (2011) ' What effect has the internet had on healthcare?' The Guardian, 9 january, [online]. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jan/09/untangling-web-krotoski-health-nhs (Accessed : 13/12 /2012 )

Memory

The internet is a double edged sword. On the one hand it gives us access to more information than we have ever been exposed to before. Which means we could potentially know so much. But on the other hand, this same amount of information can be very much overwhelming; our minds get saturated with masses of sometimes useless details. But again, here is where the web has changed our lives; when we used to have to individually stock up information now everything is accessible anytime we want. Our memory is being used in a totally different way. It seems like we even sometimes don't really have to use it anymore. Even for our private lives. For example, you see people updating their network profiles every day, describing what they have been up to, or put photos of themselves and their friends creating digital archives of their lives. Its hard to see whether this has a positive effect on us or not. Is the fact that we assume we don't really need to use our memory anymore making us stupid in a way? This debate reminded me of an episode in Charlie Brooker's series 'Black Mirror'. The story takes place in a world where people have implants that enable them to record every second of their everyday life. Memory is not an issue anymore; Whether it's keys you can't find or something you might have said, you can always rewind and check. Something that in the beginning sounds amazing! But we soon discover the dark side involved in such an invention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bFCqK81s7Y 

Love and sex on the internet

Our way of approaching love and sex has been transformed with the arrival of the internet. In the old days when it came to love/courtship or even discovering our sexual needs, we needed to go out there and meet people directly. Which in my opinion sounds more real than what is happening now.

Aleks Krotoski (2011) writes that « Research from the Oxford Internet Institute's "Me, My Spouse and the Internet: Meeting, Dating and Marriage in the Digital Age" project [reports] that 22.6% of current relationships in the UK that began [in the mid 1990's] began online. » and that in the opinion of Sam Yagan, CEO and co-founder of OKCupid « relationships that come from online dating are more likely to stick: instead of settling for one person out of a pool of 200, he argues, you'll be assured that the one you've chosen out of two million is the best fit. »

It's something that I still have trouble getting my head round. I always had this prejudice that only people who had given up on finding somebody in real life would start searching on sites such as 'meetic'. But maybe I'm wrong and you can genuinely find your perfect match online. Although, what happens then to spontaneity and real life romance?

Sex is also something that can be found online, and in many forms. A. Krotoski says that « one in 10 websites features pornographic material ». I myself, feel bombarded by these adverts for hooking up sites, or live cam girls. Porn has always existed, but in that much quantity? And even though I personally am not against the idea of porn at all, there is always the fact that some of the most degrading things ( especially for women) can now be found with one click. Has internet then put the taboo of sex on its head? Are we being accustomed to these forms of imagery and representation.

A. Krotoski (2011) again writes that « there is no evidence that simple exposure to the vast database of online fetishes has sexualised our society any more or less than previous media have. If anything, it's reversing the trend towards commercialisation. Online interaction, frank discussion and play are transforming our sexualities. The result will, with luck, be sexual enlightenment rather than social destruction. »

Reference list:

Aleks Krotoski (2011)'Untangling the web: What effect has the internet had on finding love?'

The Guardian, 01 May, [online]. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/may/01/online-dating-untangling-the-web

Accessed : 13/12 /2012 )

Aleks Krotoski (2011)'Untangling the web: What effect has the internet had on our sex lives?' The Guardian, 06 February, [online]. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/feb/06/internet-porn-sex-lives

(Accessed : 13/12 /2012 )

Addiction

Most of us have some kind of addiction, like cigarettes, alcohol or chocolate. But with the arrival of internet, a new type of addiction made its appearance. The internet has become for most of us part of our every day life, and we do tend to over do it at times. There is something about surfing the web that is somehow hypnotic. The vast quantities of knowledge, all the games, and social networks! It just never stops! However this addiction that all of us share to a certain extent can slowly grow into what is now starting to be considered as an illness; a real health issue.

David Smith (2008) cites Dr Jerald Block, who describes internet addiction as having «  four main components:

· Excessive use, often associated with a loss of sense of time or a neglect of basic drives;
· Withdrawal, including feelings of anger, tension and/or depression when the computer is inaccessible;
· The need for better computers, more software, or more hours of use;
· Negative repercussions, including arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolation and fatigue. »
It seems that the great danger of internet addiction is that you can essentially do anything that you usually do in your real life on the computer. Everything from porn, to games, to even chatting with your friends has become very much straight forward. You don't even have to leave your room.
It's strange to think that the biggest exchange/sharing platform there is in this world might also be one of the most isolating to.

Reference list:

David Smith (2008) ' Addiction to internet is an 'illness'' The Guardian, 23 March, [online]. Availabe at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/23/news.internet

(Accessed : 12/12/2012 )

Death

I have been on facebook for a few years now, and only recently have I started to come across what could be called 'digital headstones'. Facebook profiles belonging to deceased men and women, where friends and family leave messages, homages.

There is something I find very disturbing about that. The fact that we can die but somehow our digital selves live on. And people still communicate with that 'you' (there is an almost religious feel to this).

I had never really thought about what could happen to my facebook profile after I die. Do I need to leave instructions about how I want my digital life to be handled after I'm gone?

Aleks Krotoski (2011) writes that there is indeed a whole business behind taking care of our digital assets; « People are already lining up to advise us on what should and shouldn't be included in a last will and testament, offer hacking services for the bereaved to gain access to locked-down computers and social networking accounts, and flog augmented headstones so grave site visitors can discover more about an entombed person's life by scanning it with a smartphone. »

Caroline Davies (2012) also writes about these new « interactive headstones providing a revolutionary way for people to remember loved ones. »

And even though this all sounds very interesting, I still feel a bit disturbed by it.

But I guess, in the end, we do all want to be remembered somehow. And this new industry, lets us take care of our digital legacy, and control to a certain extent how we actually will be remembered.

Reference list:

Aleks Krotoski (2011)'Untangling the web: how the internet has changed the way we treat death' The Guardian, 30 October, [online]. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/30/untangling-web-aleks-krotoski-death?INTCMP=SRCH (Accessed : 12/12 /2012 )

Caroline Davies (2012) 'Interactive gravestones: how the dead live on, online' The Guardian, 5 September, [online]. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/sep/05/interactive-gravestones-dead-live-online (Accessed : 12/12/2012 )

Identity

--> The magic of the web nowadays is that it allows us to portray ourselves however we want to. We can either play at being someone/something totally different, or simply create a better, smarter, cooler version of ourselves. Aleks Krotoski (2011) writes about this in her article about online identity, and cites professor Sherry Turkle; « Unlike the rich space of offline life, where our identity cues are given away on sight, sound, smell, touch and taste, online we perform. »

These factors cited above, and of course the spontaneity of real life can sometimes make it hard to have any control over how other people view you. On internet there is this feeling of control. You will only show what you want people to see. Our ego is very much at the centre of all this. While reading an article by Charlie Brooker (2012) about the new spotify sharing feature, that links up to facebook and shows whatever you are listening to, to all of your online friends, I found interesting the fact that, yes, people are prepared to share the cool, maybe sometimes exaggerated aspects of their lives, but sharing something as 'private' as that would somehow hurt their new improved persona. He writes : « People already create exaggerated versions of themselves for online consumption: snarkier tweets, more outraged reactions. Online, you play at being yourself. Apply that pressure of public performance to private, inconsequential actions – such as listening to songs in the comfort of your own room – and what happens, exactly? »

Where it seems the net could have been a platform of complete creative freedom and openness, where anyone could be anyone, without any direct implication in our 'real lives', now as Aleks Krotoski (2011) says « the freedom of expression is curtailed by the threat of offline consequences from online actions. Today, your reputation offline is far more closely tied to your reputation online than before. »

Reference list:

Charlie Brooker (2012) 'I'm all for sharing, but why the online obsession with revealing every detail of youre life?' The Guardian, 29 January, [online]. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/29/sharing-obsession-revealing-every-detail

( Accessed : 12/12/2012 )

Aleks Krotoski (2011) 'Online identity: Can we really be whoever we want to be?' The Guardian, 19 june, [online]. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/19/aleks-krotoski-online-identity-turkle (Accessed : 12/12 /2012 )