Final: “Virtual Selves” Essay
The students or even the younger
generation of today has grown up online. The online life has been said to be a positive
affect by some people and some people say it has a negative affect. I think
that technology is useful it’s just that this younger generation has taken it
for granted. The Internet alters the nature of many things. You could be
sitting there alone by a computer but you won’t feel alone.
You could have multiple identities on
the Internet. In text 5, “Maybe I just exude it. I don’t know. But I feel like
this short person with this squeaky little Filipino voice and nobody wants to
pay attention.”(135) When I play this big guy everyone listens to me,” she
says. (136) The woman felt like no one paid any
attention to
her in real life. She created an alter ego in the virtual world. The avatar she
created was a polar opposite of her. The woman felt lonely and just wanted
someone to listen to her for once. She felt the need for attention or even some
acceptance. By creating this avatar it made her feel better. Many people vanish
into these avatars and lose acceptance for themselves. It is a simple
repetition where people make a polar opposite avatar online. Another simple
repetition is where people make a thinner, prettier version of themselves.
I am able to balance my virtual life
and my real life. In text 5 it says, “ A sociologist at MIT, Sherry Turkle,
described these environments as laboratories for the construction of identity”,
says Spaight. (136) Many people are sinked into the virtual life. I know who I
am. I don’t need to a virtual personality online to help me find out who I am.
Some people could need the the virtual life to help them find out who they
really are and some people it really drives them even further from finding out
who they truly are. I personally don’t think I need any of this online life. We
shouldn’t confuse our online personas and online activities with what we do in
the real world. Social sites today help us connect with things all over the
world. You see things that you wouldn’t have even imagined of. Social sites
only make us judge each other even more just like the media as a whole.
In text 6, “That the internet links
millions of people in new spaces that are changing the way we think and the way
we form our communities. (147) “We are using the life behind a computer screen
to become comfortable with new ways of thinking about evolution, relationships,
sexuality, politics, and identity.” (147) The Internet connects millions of
people. You can meet people from all over the glove online at any time of day.
It isn’t always safe though. People need to keep caution when online. I think
that the ability of meeting people online stops people from going outside and
meeting others. Many people go online to find a companion. Going online to meet
people stops us from forming a stable and connected community. You should be
aware of everything going on in your community. How do you think people did
everything 100 years ago? They went out in the real world and worked for
everything. There wasn’t any online life to do the things they wanted for them.
Since many people go online so much they’re losing their ability for a real
life interaction. People are becoming too comfortable in the virtual world.
I personally wouldn’t a job that has
me dealing with a computer all day. I want something where I can interact with
others and be more open to new things. The virtual world allows us to be
something we’re not and you lose your true identity. People who feel lonely go
online to find people to talk to. It stops us from gaining any social skills in
the real world. The Internet is useful for educational information but the
social sites and avatars are changing the way we think and soon enough your
true identity will be lost.
Works
Cited
Text
5:
Levine,
Ketzel. “Alter Egos. In a Virtual World.” NPR 14 June 2007.
Text
6:
Turkle,
Sherry. “Who Am We?” Wired January 1996.
