Who are you off the virtual world? Who are you in the virtual world at this moment? And who do you want to be as these two works are getting more and more blended/connected?
As I sit here typing away on my computer, scrolling through social media and gaming forums, it's easy to forget that there's a whole world outside of the virtual one. Off the virtual world, I'm quite different from the persona I present online. I'm a quiet person who prefers to keep to myself, with just a small group of close friends that I interact with regularly. When I'm not glued to my computer screen, I enjoy playing sports, especially basketball. It's a great way to get some exercise and take a break from the virtual world.
In the virtual world, I'm a different person altogether. I'm active, engaging, and always up-to-date with the latest trends. I spend most of my time browsing social media, especially Instagram and TikTok, and I'm always posting updates on my Instagram story. I love keeping up with the latest fashion trends, especially those that are popular on TikTok. I'm also an avid gamer, spending countless hours playing games like Valorant, Overwatch, and League of Legends. My friends often refer to me as the "friend who is too good at games." Consequently, this would make me fall under the category in which the majority of the masses also fall into, hyperconsumerism. As French philosopher Gilles Lipovetsky states, consumerism has slipped through the cracks of society and has made its way to family relations, religion, politics, culture, and even leisure time (Lipovetsky 2006:12). Unfortunately, I fall victim to this very often and it's not as if hyperconsumerism has to be a bad thing, it’s just that many of my problems stem from it. Many of the things I see on social media and the products I buy are sources of short term gratification, which leads me to become addicted, repeating this process.
Despite these differences, there is a common thread that runs through both my virtual and non-virtual selves. I'm passionate about technology and using it to create something new and exciting. Even hyperconsumerism has its benefits and it certainly comes in handy whenever I think about new projects that are able to implement both art and programming. Whether that be a game or just a visual experience, I am able to use the resources of the ever-evolving internet, as a source of inspiration for projects. As a college student majoring in immersive media design, I'm learning how to use programming languages and 3D software to create immersive experiences for others. It's a blend of my creative and technical sides, and I couldn't be more excited about it.
As the virtual and non-virtual worlds continue to blend together, I see myself becoming someone who can use technology to bridge the gap between the two. I want to be someone who can create experiences that are just as exciting and engaging as those we find online, but in the real world. The online world is as wide as our imagination makes it out to be. We can sculpt our image in every way we want, physically, socially, emotionally. Most of the time, it is just our actual selves, with all our good traits intensified and brought out (Goffman 1959:29). However, I would love to create a project that takes the essence of your character, whether that be physical attributes, your personality and quirks, and mannerisms, and I want to make a completely different humanoid that embodies those things, without retaining your complete physical appearance. As Goffman states, in social world communities, there is a general rule that avatars should generally look like their owners, so that people are able to initiate friendships and even romantic relationships (Goffman 2004:8). I am not one to judge what people do on the internet to better their self-image. However, I would like it if there was some sort of social platform where people could show their true colors, without giving their physical identity away, which caters towards the benefit of anonymity. I feel that this could revolutionize how people communicate on the internet and if people were to just give this avant-garde idea a try, I think that they might like it. I am fully aware that avatars should be extensions of people’s offline selves, but I think that extension doesn’t always have to be physical. It could be social and emotional. In this way, there is no intentional deception when it comes to physical looks, it is genuine.
Ultimately, I am both an introverted college student with a passion for sports and a technology enthusiast who spends a significant amount of time online. In the virtual world, I am an active social media user and avid gamer, while in the real world, I prefer to keep to myself and spend time playing basketball. However, both of these worlds are connected by my passion for technology and my desire to create something new and exciting. As the virtual and non-virtual worlds continue to blend together, I see myself becoming someone who can use technology to bridge the gap between the two, but always mindful of the importance of balancing the time spent online with real-life experiences.
Sources
Lipovetsky, Gilles. 1983. L’ère du vide: Essais sur l’individualisme contemporain. Paris: Gallimard.
. 1987. “La pub sort ses griffes.” Le Débat 43:126–40.
. 2005. Hypermodern Times. Malden: Polity.
. 2006. Le bonheur paradoxal: Essai sur la société d’hyperconsommation. Paris: Gallimard.
Goffman, Erving. 1959. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Doubleday.