masks

[egypturnash]

Something spun off from a bit of snide butthead looking for drama - mostly the "no actual user pics - only 'fantasy' and 'furry' ones (screams fat/ugly)" line.

It reminded me of the news story a while back about Friendster's management vs. "fakesters", people who created Friendster profiles for concepts, cities, interests, celebrities, and imaginary characters. The guy who started Friendster hates these people for the fact that they're turning his service into something that contains whimsey; the article I read on this ended with a brief scene where Friendster-guy admitted to the interviewer that, yeah, the main reason he started the service was to try and get dates, but its popularity has made him too busy to even think about such things. "Well, I have this cool friend who's single", said the interviewer. They went to look. Her user image was a cartoon image of some sort. Friendster-guy rolled his eyes, and actually sent her a message saying "You seem like a pretty interesting girl; shame about the fake user picture." (quotes not exact; I'm too lazy to hunt down the story again when I should be in the shower and off to work.)

And I see this attitude popping up with some regularity. Experimenting with your identity via the still largely text-only medium of the Internet is somehow considered bad; everyone should, it seems, only ever claim that actual photos of their face represent them in any way. It appears more and more as "normal" people discover the world of mediated communication, and want to take everything at face value.

Whatever happened to "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog"?

What's wired differently in the minds of people who think that presenting any image online that is not based largely in the truth about your body is wrong, bad, and to be mocked? I've learnt a lot about myself by playing roles that are not my body; it's let me grow in ways I never could have if I'd limited myself to what I see in the mirror. It's play, and some has just been play, but some of it has been very valuable and important play. The body's just part of who you are, and it can be changed - and it will only become more changeable in the future!

And of course, people who maintain such an attitude are usually creating an identity that's distinct from their physical one, as well, by selecting their "best" photos for use, or even carefully staging shots supported with props to create a certain character. But that's okay because it shows their real face. Or something.

(ps. original link to argument that sparked this tangential thought from postvixen.)

Comments

[yulicorn.livejournal.com]

You're a credit to freakdom, Peggy. <3 <3 <3

[gruffin.livejournal.com]

Hmph. Most people don't have an imagination.

"Whatever happened to "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog"?"

Well, that was probably stated by a freak with ideas... maybe a nerdy guy that helped develop the internet, a dude with an active fantasy life allready.
Now everybody and their momma is online looking for dates and whats on TV.
Mainstreamed.

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

Nah, actually that was a cartoon in the New Yorker around the time the net started to grow beyond just geeks and nerds! Two dogs, one sitting in a chair in front of a computer and talking, the other on the floor looking up at it. With that caption.

The line was a catchphrase for a year or two, because it succinctly summed up the potential powers of role-playing and experimenting, and made you snicker.

[ultraken.livejournal.com]

I guess some people have no sense of humor...

Just because I never experiment with my identity, that doesn't mean no one should ever experiment with their identity. However, some people seem unable to grasp that concept; I suppose it's an instance of a larger pattern of "my way is the right way, and everyone else must do it my way".

[milkpanzer.livejournal.com]

I'm sure they never stopped to think that perhaps the reason some people use 'fake' userpics is so they don't get tons of harrassing email from every stupid lonely geek with no social skills that happens across it.

-.-

[ghostangel.livejournal.com]

Its because the internet isn't just for geeks anymore. Its become mainstream, with everything that implies. We are being elbowed out of our own haven...

maybe

[ck23.livejournal.com]

maybe the internet is turning all its users into geeks...maybe not all but a large percentage. those with potential...

[hydra-velsen.livejournal.com]

I very deliberately keep details about myself concealed. At one point, I was pretty open with personal information, and needless to say, you reap what you sow. I became a big friggin bull's eye. Now I keep personal information limited to a *very* select group of friends, and I only give out my email address in even fewer instances.

As for the shield of anonymity, I think it's a good thing to have. The internet leaves some mystery about the truth, and there's some details I'd rather nobody know about. I'm not fat, bald, ugly, nor out of shape and introverted. I'm a decent looking, tall, decently-built guy that's capable of being pretty darned chatty. Heck I even survived a hazing fraternity with flying colors. I've sometimes had people attack me with such nonsense, and of course I'm self-confident enough to laugh it off. I know who my real friends are, and they know what I'm about.

As for "trolling", well, I'm not going to abuse the shield of anonymity the internet affords to attack someone. I'm die-hard loyal to my friends, and I generally lack enemies, because I do use that shield responsibly. I don't hide behind a persona. I have my online alias, of course, but I'm not going to use that as a shield to cover up my insecurities. There's no in-character and out-of-character for me, normally. It's just me.

I'm a random commenter!

[glaed.livejournal.com]

Hi! Hope you don't mind me dropping in. :-) You're the person who taught me to appreciate vector art, btw.

But that's okay because it shows their real face. Or something.

You're right. Who says a photograph shows the real you? People don't choose their faces (most of the time). They do choose their userpics. It says a lot more about their mental processes than a photograph. In a way, insisting on having a photograph as your userpic says 'I define myself through my exterior'. Insisting on others having a photograph implies that they define others through their exteriors as well.

I'm having great difficulties understanding their attitude. Your regular, posed photograph hardly adds anything to your understanding of a person. Photos of people doing things maybe, but it's hard to successfully incorporate 'me on my horse' or 'my cool new outfit' into a userpic. Also, thinking about it, short animations might be informative. You can tell a lot about people from the way they move, because it shows the habits of a lifetime.

Identity, real people, and anger

[paka.livejournal.com]

Physical presence changes over time. Scars appear. Hair goes gray, fat sags, workouts tighten shirts over built up pectorals. The logical extention to complaining about the "unreal" pictures is complaining about "real" pictures of users from their childhoods, or from their time in the military, or when they were in costume during Halloween... It's totally fallacious.

My feeling is that these people want something to bitch about. If people - and let's face it, very few of us are the beautiful people anyway - stuck just to posting current, RL photos, the same jerks would be making fun of people for being fat or funny looking. You may as well play around with presentation of identity because no matter what, these types will find something to crap about. It's like being in high school.

[kinkyturtle.livejournal.com]

In the specific case of Friendster, as I understand it, the Friendster guy's problem is that these people are using the service for a purpose other than what he created it for. His problem mainly seems to be that he's unimaginative, or perhaps just too much of a control freak. :}