I really wasn't sure what to blog about today but after reading Professor Burton's post, following his link to his playlist of digital culture videos, and poking around I came across a Amber Case's TED talk, "We are all cyborgs now." Being the sci fi nerd I am, I was intrigued and quickly clicked on it.
Amber is a cyborg anthropologist who is interested in the interactions between humans and technology. She crams a lot of interesting topics into that short 8 minute clip, I suggest you watch it since I will not be covering everything in this post and all of it is very interesting.
I'm going to focus on two of the points she brings up: your second-self and the need for self-reflection.
 |
| Courtesy of secondlife.com |
Most everyone, whether you like it or not, has a digital presence today. Case calls it your second-self. We present the second or digital self in a similar way that we present our selves in our analog lives. She says we must learn to maintain our second-selves just as we maintain our real selves i.e. brushing teeth, getting dressed, etc. Another aspect of having a second self, also similar to analog life, is going through adolescence. She says it's just as awkward and maybe even a little worse than regular adolescence because a record of it is kept on the internet forever.
I know I experienced this changing adolescent period of my second-self. Little did I know how annoying/embarrassing life would be down the road when my 7th or 8th grade-band-geek-self chose my first real email address: trumpetfreak27. With everything nicely linked together (email, youtube, blogs, calendars, etc.), it took me a long time to switch over to a more "adult" email address. It was a bit of a hassle to change everything and I still find myself periodically going into that old account to find something. Luckily, things are improving everyday and it's getting easier to switch things around in your digital life.
Case also talked about the lack of self reflection that is taking over our society and culture. Because we experience something called "ambient intimacy," a state of being where we have to ability to connect with anyone whenever we want, we rarely slow down, unplug, and allow ourselves to quietly reflect on who we are. It is important to take time to figure out who you are, what you are learning, how you are changing and growing, Also need quiet time to create goals and develop long-term plans. Once you have done these things Case says it is easier to present your second self correctly, that it will be a better likeness of your analog self.
It's hard for me to turn off distractions and just be with my own thoughts. I'm so used to filling up my spare time with music, books, tv, movies, etc that I have to consciously force myself to take a break. One of my favorite places to think about things/contemplate life is in the shower. I'm able to let my mind wander and have often been pleasantly surprised by an epiphany.
Do any of you have favorite places to unplug? What works for you?
Great post, Ariel! I'm really intrigued by the concept of digital identities and find the "adolescent second-self" such a hilarious concept because it's true. I was totally guilty of cheesy AIM and email addresses in middle school! I think that the awkward digital phase comes as teens are trying to establish an online presence that is trying to appeal to an audience that is struggling with the same awkwardness. As we're now in college, I think it's easier to establish a presence that is more becoming as we develop more mature interests and relationships. Very interesting!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite way to unplug is to go outside of my house and spend time with my friends in real life. I can read books, paint, or do other things on my own and still feel unplugged, but I think the way that I feel most connected is when I'm having meaningful, face to face communication with people I like.
ReplyDeleteAnother important thing for me is to turn off the music. If I don't go on iPod fasts on a regular basis I can't hear anything even when the music gets turned off.
I love this post. Well done. Brittany actually wrote a blog based off of this one. You should check it out. It's what led me here.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite way to unplug is to go to the duck pond south of campus and just watch the ducks live their little lives. I don't bring bread during these "unplugging" times either. I just sit there and watch the ducks, fascinated by their simplicity and complexity. Somehow, watching them puts everything back into perspective for me.