La actuación de la identidad online

 La actuación de la identidad online:

Estrategias de representación y simulación en el ciberespacio

 Francesc Núñez, Elisenda Ardèvol, Agnès Vayreda

Gircom (Grup Interdisciplinari de Recerca en Comunitats Virtuals)

Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

Ciberart, Bilbao, Abril 2004

Abstract

In this paper we will analyze some current resources available on the Net to construct online identities. The WorldWideWeb can be understood as a space of electronic communication that allows people to interact assuming multiple identities and in different virtual settings. How do we explain these apparent temporary, multiple, distributed, fragmented and ubiquitous identities in cyberspace? ¿How do they relate to our notion of self?

We will show through different examples (chats, forums, personal pages, weblogs) how the identities on the Net are constructed using sociotechnological resources and the rol that simulation and representation play as cultural strategies that we use to understand online identity. Far from presenting a social problem, the technological mediation for the construction of online identities allows to make visible the mechanisms that we use to present ourselves and to represent ourselves in the daily life. Therefore, the relationship between our online and offline identities is not a question of authenticity or a correspondence between the online representation and the actual self, but a pragmatic question, so that what is interesting for us is how we perform our identities to give meaning to our relationships in the context of the interaction.

Full article in Catalan here (text document) : Gircom_ciberart_def

PDF version of the same article: gircom_ciberart_vl