Critical Annotated Webliography

Q3) Critically access the ways in which constructions of identity have been extended and/or altered by information and communication technologies.

Lisa McGerty’s article states that the virtual identity can bear as much or as little relation to the “real” self as the user desires[1]. Online identity has always been defaulted as “white” and “male”. However the construction has slowly changed as technology is slowing opening up to more groups. Reading through some of the blogs discussed earlier in tutorials has allowed me to have a broader view on the topic. Using two of the widely used search engines, Google and Yahoo! with keywords such as “constructions of identity extended or altered by information and communication technologies” and “identity extended or altered by internet” has amounted to thousands of search queries. From there, I have selected six articles, ranging from online relations to chat rooms, on the kinds of identity in the technological aspect.

Cyd Strickland’s article[2] focuses on online relationships, relating to her experience from an online seminar ElComm, learning to communicate within a virtual community with unacquainted people. Community identification is described as one of the ways in which people differentiate themselves. Strickland assumes an identity of a man by one of the facilitators judging from her name and non-feminine style of writing. Although all modes of identification were not mentioned within the community, the facilitators managed to recognise her during one face to face encounter. Strickland’s argues that offline meeting has completed the “missing social cues” of the online world. Living in different areas and having different cultural background and personality did not stop them from communicating effectively online. Instead it has brought them together, through a common ground in interest and work.

Ellen Baird[3] discusses on the Internet and a web-based chat room for American Indians. The chat room is open to two distinct groups, namely Indians and non-Indians. Stage name would be one way to identify the person’s ethnic group since both groups’ naming convention is different. Language and style can also identify a person, in terms of ethnicity and gender. Several categories of speech including Racism, Personal Networking, Commercialised Spirituality and Indian Humour are found. The chat room allowed Indians to bond online as well as offline and it is also a place where their ethnic background is identified, accepted and strengthened. One drawback about the article (which I feel) is Baird uses too many quotes from the referencing materials.

Mark Warschauer’s article[4] places emphasis on the use of language in both Media and the Internet. There is a saying which implies that no matter what kind of identity we hold, no one is able to find out until we start to communicate. Although English in the earlier days of technology was widely distributed, other languages are also opening up to the world of technology. Re-localization by corporations is occurring quickly so as to spread the market. The case of race-passing by Onaona brings a different light to Nakamura’s argument. It describes Onaona of using the Internet to bring out her ability to express a part of her ethnic heritage, which she was unable to do so in real life.

Sandy Zipp[5] starts with the MCI Commercial and introduces the group, Youth Outlook (YO) and Plug In, and their views on race relations. Race issue, that happens frequently offline, now appears as much online in chat rooms and newsgroups. However, some youths still retain the hope in meeting people and finding out more about the different cultures. MCI’s racial anonymity is one way to stop racial discrimination, but it might attract predators that are simply there to harass others using anonymous identities. Racial bombings would be something uncontrollable as it is a creation of the real world into virtual world, even if anonymity is brought into the picture as most youths are unwilling to hide their real identities.

Sherry Turkle’s article[6] provides an insight on Multi-User Domains (MUDs). Assimilation of media (television) settings of a bar is applied to the real and virtual world, where it is seen as a “neighbourhood place where everyone knows your name”. One user in MUD comments on the identity as “free” and “real” as MUD is the virtual world which they have created, to allow them to be themselves. Identity is re-formed as some group of young people claims they can better voice out in cyberspace than in the real world. Although virtual gender-swapping and abuse of MUD occurs, it has not deterred people from going back into the online world to find their “true” identity.

Gianna LaPin discusses on how a user’s identity can be affected by the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC)[7]. Gender questions are often one of the popular questions staring with a/s/l (age, sex, location) when chatting with a stranger online. Nick names are part of the process to a virtual identity and sometimes users give names which answers the a/s/l question. Identity can be intentionally portrayed while it can also be unintentionally giving signs to the real self. LaPin states the two cues which gives assumptions to the real identity are email address and communication style. There are two possibilities to users who intentionally hide their real gender and takes on the opposite gender’s status. First is to communicate effectively with the community and another is the curiosity to “the other half’s life”. Women sometimes are forced to take on a status of a man for the first reason.

In the above examples, we have seen a variation of the different types of identity that can be perceived in the digital world. Gender and race will always be a topic which most people will put their emphasis on. Identity of portraying ourselves can be hidden intentionally yet given away unintentionally. A popular way of identifying an online user is through the writing style as well as nick name. If the user takes a neutral stand on both, he/she will most probably be seen as the masculine counterpart. The virtual space is also acknowledged as a “safe haven” for those who are unable to voice out in the real world, due to gender or racial issues. As the saying goes “Nobody on the Internet knows that you're a dog[8]”, that is, until you give yourself away.

Footnotes:
[1] Joseph Turow & Andrea Kavanagh (eds), The Wired Homestead, Cambridge: Mitpress, 2003.

[2] Cyd Strickland, “A Personal Experience with Electronic Community”, CMC Magazine (June 1998) http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1998/jun/strick.html(accessed 30/08/04).

[3] Ellen Baird, “Ain’t Gotta Do Nothin But Be Brown and Die”, CMC Magazine (July 1998) http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1998/jul/baird.html (accessed 30/08/04).

[4] Mark Warschauer. "Language, Identity, and the Internet". In B. Kolko, L. Nakamura & G. Rodman (Eds.) Race in Cyberspace. New York: Routledge, 2000, pp.151-170. http://www.gse.uci.edu/markw/lang.html (accessed 31/08/04).

[5] Sandy Zipp, “What Color Is the Net?”, The Netizen (March 1997) http://hotwired.wired.com/netizen/97/11/index2a.html (accessed 31/0/04).

[6] Sherry Turkle, "Virtuality and Its Discontents", The American Prospect vol. 7 no. 24 (December 1996) http://www.prospect.org/print/V7/24/turkle-s.html (accessed 31/08/04).

[7] Gianna LaPin, “Pick a Gender and Get Back to Us”, How Cyberspace Affects Who We Are (May 1998) http://www.fragment.nl/mirror/various/LaPin_G.1998.Pick_a_gender_and_get_back_to_us.htm (accessed 01/09/04)

[8] Mark Warschauer. "Language, Identity, and the Internet": Language In Cyberspace (2000) http://www.gse.uci.edu/markw/lang.html (accessed 01/09/04).