S/R 3

S/R 3 “Embodied Composition in Real Virtualities:  Adolescents’ Literacy Practices and Felt Experiences Moving with Digital, Mobile Devices in School”

Karina Juarez, 07/31/18

Ehret, Christian, and Ty Hollett. “Embodied Composition in Real Virtualities: Adolescents' Literacy    Practices and Felt Experiences Moving with Digital, Mobile Devices in School.” Research in  the Teaching of English, vol. 48, no. 4, 2014, pp. 428–452. JSTOR, JSTOR,  www.jstor.org/stable/24398691.

SUMMARY:

This article by Christian Ehret and Ty Hollett is about embodied composition and how students use mobile technology in order to compose in an ELA classroom. The authors, who are both teachers, believe that theories of multimodal composition do not fully account for how students compose, and they argue that digital technologies allow students to compose while on the move.  Their study attempts to answer the following questions:  How are adolescents representing identities in texts and how are they representing meaning on screen?  In order to answer these questions, they approach their study through the framework of physical embodiment and state that, “Castells (1996) eschews the binary of separate digital and physical spaces through his emphasis on real virtualities: the total imbrication, or layering, of the digital and physical upon one another.  Rather than traversing back and forth between “physical” space and an imagined “cyberspace”, bodily activities in digital and physical spaces are connected” (431). Therefore, the digital-self does not exist on the screen, but it emerges outward from the screen and merges with a student’s real-lived experiences.  For their study, they follow 2 students who use an app called Flat Stanely on their iPod Touch to compose a digital narrative.  Ehret and Hollett chose this app because it “exemplifies composition in real virtualities by bridging the digital with the physical as well as the surrounding material environment” (436).  They followed a student named Yvette as she composes with her iPod touch and she states that she holds the iPod with two hands, just like she would hold a book, and she brings it closer to her face, too.  Another student, named Adela, uses the camera on her iPod Touch to capture a photo of a “Hello Kitty” keychain, and she needs to make it “stand up right”, so she looks for a phone cord, across the room, from which to hang it. Ehret and Hollett conclude that when Internet enabled mobile devices enter the classroom, teachers need to consider how classroom space is constructed to allow mobility.  They also conclude that as Adela and Yvette composed their narratives, “they felt such real virtualities: Yvette felt time in her body as her story traveled through digital networks and Adela layered a digital avatar over material things, seeing meaning potential in her classroom space when sensed through her iPod screen, only available when composing in real virtualities” (449).  

RESPONSE:

            This is an interesting piece because, as far as digital identity is concerned, the authors have demonstrated that there is no disconnect between the digital world and the real world.   Students were assigned to use digital technology in order to compose, and their experiences were projecting onto the final product that they were producing. These students, Adela and Yvette were composing in a classroom, and had to have an iPod touch in their hands, and they had to move around their classroom in order to produce their compositions, and Adela experienced some frustration in having to manipulate the “hello kitty” keychain that she wanted to take a picture of for her composition.  These teachers chose to make composition a mobile process by asking their students to use an iPod touch to take pictures of an object.  I think that digital technologies like smartphones and digital cameras are an extension of a student’s physical bodies.  For example, if I were a teacher, and asked a student to compose an Instagram story about their day, I would require a composition that includes pictures and videos.  The video component part of the assignment would be a bit more physical, because the students would need to hold their phones or cameras at a certain angle and speak clearly and loudly enough.  I can see how this type of assignment would bridge the gap between the physical and digital world because a student would need to be carrying a smartphone or camera with them in order to complete this assignment, and have Internet access to upload it to Instagram.  I agree the authors that physical space and cyberspace are connected when asking students to produce this kind of assignment.  Another issue that I think about in potentially assigning this type of work is accessibility.  Students need access to smartphones, tripods, selfie-sticks, and digital cameras in order to produce digital compositions, and not every student may be able to afford this technology, outside of the classroom setting. 

Me, myself and I: The role of interactional context on self-presentation through avatars

Maria Michelle Baldazo

July 31, 2018

Vasalou, A., & Joinson, A. N. (2009). Me, myself and I: The role of interactional context on self-presentation through avatars. Computers in human behavior, 25(2), 510-520.

Sumamry:

In this article, the researchers investigate the characteristic choice of an avatar by seventy-one participants (23 female, 48 male) who were enrolled at a UK university. The participants were directed to first choose between one of three conditions, blogging, dating, or game purpose of an avatar. Then they created the avatar there were different observations between the three categories. After creating the avatar they were asked to fill out a questionnaire and then conducted a post-interview. The blogging condition was more likely to be correlated with “accuracy” which were three features, participants used self-preferences when creating the avatar. For example the favorite color, if they liked wearing caps, or hobbies they might like. The life happening were used such as past experience, anticipated events or memories. The other feature was desired life changes also affected the avatar creation for example having a future pet. Many of the participants even used the background setting based on their individual likes. For example, one female participant used the setting of a cabin for her avatar due to her future hopes is to have a home in a wooden area. The dating condition showed the push for a more romantic display visually. They would use their more romantic personal qualities and just intentionally put them on display. There was a participant who liked to ballroom dance and placed his avatar with the background of a ballroom. There was one more extreme of the participants depicted her avatar with a “sexy beach body”. The gaming conditioning was broken up into 4 different ways, self-presentation, self-representation, accordance to game style, and customization options. The self-presentation was not altered based on anything just similar to their own “accuracy”. The self-representation was similar to the self-presentation only a little bit smarter, faster, or stronger. Accordance to game style was also seen when creating the avatar, this was more aligned to the game, for example the background being blended into the game, or the customary depiction of a detective. The customization options targeted was to focus on game strategies for example to distract the other players in order to win. The findings suggested (Vasalou & Joinson, 2009), “that avatars are used to express stable aspects of their owners”. As well as, the self-representation increased self-awareness when participants created their own avatars.

Response:

I thought the study was interesting and insightful. I really appreciated the free choice of the three different purposes of the avatars. This was the first article that really gave me a better understanding of the avatar creation which to me at first had never even had second thoughts about. The different perspectives and examples of the participants was clear and easy to understand. The researchers using both qualitative and quantitative methods allow for a better in-depth explanation of the how and why of the creation.

Web article - Can Social Media Activity Affect My Disability Case?

Link to article

https://disabilityguide.com/can-social-media-activity-affect-my-disability-case.html

I know we should be looking at academic articles but I found this and it reminded me of my own person experience. After a few years ago after my second back surgery and hospitalization due to depression and quitting pain meds cold turkey. Whatever you do dont do that. I was told to apply to disability. I did and it is a long process. After being denied twice, I to hire a lawyer so we could appeal. This time they sent me to a judge.

I got denied and my mom often wondered if because of my education they kept denying me because even after the person from the state that defines your limitations said it would be hard for me to get a job. So I had to reappeal and got sent to a second judge. During the procedure I was surprised when all sudden she asks if you are disabled how can you go to school online? I answered the question honestly. Then she hit me with did you just publish a book like you posted on facebook? I had self-published a book on Amazon.

Despite the multiple warnings from our leaders in campus activities telling us that social media can follow us. It took me by surprise. I was honest I told her I wrote a 14 page book of essays that I decided to self publish after a couple of years. I told her I hope to someday open a charity to help bullied kids but right now it just a dream. With my health issues I know I can dream even plan all I want but most of the time I take day at a time. Sometimes even one month at time. So someday it may happen but someday it might not happen becasue of my health issues. What someone posts on facebook, instagram or social media can give the judge bias. Even though we have to fill out paperwork that lists our every day activities and what we have trouble with. They dont see the every day activities but they can see what choose to post on social media. I often dont post my every day issues on social media becasue I know most people dont want to know. Or as I have been told before I talk about being sick to much. Which is funny because I was told that by family and friends. Plus they dont know how much I keep to myself in my journal or by praying.

7/27/2018 S/R A Common Open Space or Digital Divide? A Social Model Perspective on the Online Disability Community in China/ Adela Tamayo

7/27/2018 S/R A Common Open Space or Digital Divide? A Social Model Perspective on the Online Disability Community in China/ Adela Tamayo/ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0968759042000283638

MLA:
Baorong Guo, et al. “ A Common Open Space or Digital Divide? A Social Model Perspective on the Online Disability Community in China.” Disability & Society, vol. 20, no.1, Oct. 2010, p.p 49-66., doi:10.1080/096875904200

APA:
B.G., Baorang, J.C., & Huang, J. (2010). A Common Open Space or Digital Divide? A Social Model Perspective on the Online Disability Community in China.” Disability & Society, 20(1), 49-66. Doi: 10.1080/09685904200028

Summary:
The authors are studying the use of the internet by the disabled community in China. They found that before 1998, the internet was not known to or was used by the disabled community in China. They found that the disabled community may not have the same access to internet as the general population. Yet, recently the internet has helped the disabled community to to keep up with current news, obtain needed information, make more friends, form self-support group and shop.  The visually impaired in China have built their own websites even though physically it should be hard for them to access the internet or create a website. They used a self-reported survey to survey 122 disabled people to look at the specifically disabled people who use the internet in China and can the internet communications improve the perceived quality of disabled people social interactions.

Theories
They look at the compensation model is often used to study the internets impact on disabled people and other marginalized populations. This model states that people who are socially inactive or dissatisfied with the real world tend to use the internet more and benefit from it. This model also states that disabled people are isolated with a low level of social interaction so they create it online. The authors view this model as to narrow because it often used just as a technological medium. So it doesn’t fully explain why or how the internet can compensate.
For this study, they adopt the social model of disability because they see it as “capturing the full significance of the internet’s social dimension”. This model sees the “source of disability” as the environmental barriers they face and not the impairments. The internet can help with any environmental factors they may face such as physical, geographical and attitudes. Unlike the compensation model which is called the medical model, which only focused on medical interventions to help disease, illnesses and any impairments. Where as the social model looks at the barriers in the environment around them and how the disabled community can get past them.

Social Model in China
The medical model is what is used in China because the even the law defines disability as a “physical or mental deficit”. There is a clear division in China between the abnormal- disabled population and normal- non disabled population. They have a specific Chinese term, “canji” for disability. In English the term means deficit or disease. Yet the disabled community uses the social model to fight against the injustice they face. In 2000, they used the internet to start a movement to eliminate the word disease from the disability discourse in China. Another movement is among the deaf community. In China, when deaf students return to school they want them to speak and not use sign language. Yet online deaf community argues that not all students can speak or even get hearing implants.
The internet can improve a disabled person life but it can also have a negative impact. Other conditions then disability can affect rather the internet can have benefit. Social conditions and inequalities can create a digital divide. The authors look at the following propositions:
• Does educational or economic status or geography affect there ability to access the internet
• Can internet remove physical environmental barriers and reduce discrimination
• The internet serves to promote social interaction by increasing frequency and quality of exchange.
Education- They found that disabled people who use the internet have achieved a high level of education. 22% high school education and 59.5% above high school compared to the general population. They found that the disabled community has an education level of high school and above at 59.5% over 55.2% of the general population. They also found the disabled community has achieved a educational level of graduate degree or above at 9.9% over 2.2% of the general population. They found that disabled people attain higher educational level then the general population. So disabled internet users are better then the disabled population who may not use the internet.

Economic Barriers – The monthly price of internet is leading barrier to not being able to access the internet. The other 3 are the lack of internet knowledge, lack of computers and lack of  assistive equipment. The survey found that most of the people earn less than the national monthly earning. They found that they live with or get finical support from others they can still afford the internet.

Common Open Space – The internet can reduce physical barriers because many public places in China do not have an accessible way for disabled people to get there or use them. With the internet they can talk friends that live far away and make new friends. They found that 23.5% are able to receive education through long distance programs. These programs are also starting to grow.

Social attitude- They found that 54% face less discrimination online and yet 35.3% neither agree or disagree that they face less discrimination online. While 10.6% disagree all together. The authors state that the disabled community may face less discrimination on the internet because they can interact without having to disclose that they are disabled or they can choose when to disclose it. So they found that the less discrimination may be because the disabled person may choose to not disclose that they are disabled online. It doesn’t change the social attitude but suppresses it. If they choose not to disclose it the discrimination may never happens but one of the surveys responses suggested that disclosing it later just meant they faced discrimination later. The internet can also increase the chances for social opportunities because 76.2% agree that the internet provides “more chances to make friends, participate in public affairs and create self-support groups.” Online I have joined Facebook groups, I wonder if they have these kind of groups in the China’s version of Facebook. When I started teaching the kids in China English, during training they informed us that facebook is banned in China. So the have their own version.

The authors conclude that in China the internet is both a common ground and a digital divide. The common ground is that communication and information is free and unregulated for people with disabilities that can access the internet. The communication is instant and global so it provides a place to keep friendships and make new ones. The divide lies in what Stephen Graham says that internet has not produced the “death of distance” nor the “end of geography” (2001). They found that studying disabled internet users does not show the whole picture. They did find that disabled internet users who do not have high level of education, a high level of socio-economic support, access to computer equipment or the internet there is no benefit to using the internet. To close this divide they suggest the whole community needs access to computers, internet, literacy programs and heath and other sources.

Response:

I agree with the article that the internet provides a common ground but there is a digital divide. The economic barriers that exist with the price of internet can prevent low income disabled people from accessing information. There is a lot of help and resources on the internet such companies that provide discounted and free medicine. There are even medical companies that provide free blood sugar machines. But what if people can access the internet due to cost but also what if they don’t know how to search for this information. As someone with no health insurance I get help from the insulin company to get free insulin. The dr sent me to the hospital to the medical accessibility office. They help you fill out the paper work and find the right companies. Well the office closed with no notice. When I went to the doctors they told me just print it out online and we will help you. But all I could think about was the elderly who may not know how to use the computer or may not have someone who can help them at home to find this information.

The common ground is disabled people can choose when or where to disclose their disability on the internet. This can also lead to less discrimination. Also with facebook support groups can be the one place where disabled people can talk about their disability with out being judged and also share information that can help each other. What I found interesting was how one of the survey respondents stated that making friends online was like making friends in real life.

Quotations
- About making more friends
“I have many more online friends to talk to. I feel like the Internet suddenly opens a door in front of me, through which I can see the outside world and get to know many things.”

- Getting to choose if to reveal disability
“If there is any difference between the Web and the real world, it should be this: I can freely decide what information to be exchanged in online communication and how to tell the information (related to my impairment).

“On the web, I can be whatever person I want to be without caring to much about what others think of me.”

- Delayed discrimination
“ Many of my online friends were very glad to talk with me before they know the truth (I am a disabled person). Things completely changed after I told them I was blind.”
 
- making friends is the same
“ Of course, the Internet can bring me out of the isolated world and let me know more people. But it is just a tool, a way of communicating, and a complementary of real life. The online world seem no so much different from the real world. Online friends can be real or not real, can be intimate or superficial. I was very excited at the very beginning but the excitement disappeared soon. Nothing has been changed. Everything remains the same.

Keyterms:

Compensation model – also known as the medical model- the authors see it as to narrow to research disabled people use of internet in China. This model states that if people are dissatisfied with their real world social life and the internet can benefit them. This model tends to focus on the disability or the illness that person has.

Social model of Disability – the author chose this model  - this model views disability happening because of social factors more then the person impairment

Canji – term used in China to describe disabled but when transcribed to English is derogatory because it latterly means deficit or disease.

SUMMARY/RESPONSE #2

TED TALK 2006 TONY ROBBINS "Why We Do What We Do"

by Sophia Rodriguez

Summary:
Robbing begins his talk by stating that contrary to popular belief, he is not a motivational speaker. He confidently states that he is a "why" guy. He wants to know "What is it that drives you in your life today?" He encourages the audience to consider the these exact questions upon reflecting their own lives because people should identify what it is they connect with and why. People should as why (kind of like how I am asking why people create TEDTalks and why people watch them upon analyzing TED Talks) and says it is important for two reasons: 1) “So that you can contribute more.” and 2) “that hopefully we can not just understand other people more, but maybe appreciate them more and create the kinds of connections that can stop some of the challenges that we face today." His whole talk reflects on the connections we make with ourselves and what we learn from ourselves and what we learn from what we involve ourselves with.


Reflection:
This was the first TED Talk that came up when I searched for "identity," so it led me to this spectacular speech by Tony Robbins. Although it sounded like a motivational speech the first few minutes of the video, Robbins began guiding my mind to a thought of reasoning and purpose of our thoughts. As I watch more TED Talks I really believe that what Robbing emphasizes may be what TED Talks are all about: to contribute to society,  not through self-interest or financial gain or recognition, but for the simple sake of spreading humanity, spreading awareness, spreading innovative ideas to the public. Through almost every TED Talks speaker, I noticed a pattern: humanly connection, world connection, unison amongst human beings in this planet.* Ask questions like “how” and “why.”

Sandie Ramirez-Mayorga Summary/Response #3

Sandie Ramirez-Mayorga Summary/Response to:

Davis, Jenny L. “Triangulating the Self: Identity Processes in a Connected Era.” Symbolic Interaction, vol. 37, no. 4, 2014, pp. 500–523. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/symbinte.37.4.500.

Summary

Jenny Davis did an impressive job in trying to demonstrate the reasons why people on social networking sites (SNS) update their status and what type of perception others see about the person updating audiences in her article, Triangulating the Self: Identity Processes in a Connected Era. In the article Davis writes, "This gap between perception of self and perception of others is theoretically important and highlights several things. First, it illuminates the tension within selfing processes between performativity and the moral imperative of authenticity - - or the necessity of hiding performative efforts from others and from the self."(518) She not only describes the notion of a SNS user to be participating in performative acts, she also points out that the reasons users do this not always is to remember where they've been, rather it is to impress their audience about the whereabouts even if it doesn't correctly identify who they are offline. She also adds, "...maintaining an ideal-authentic balance in light of frictionless sharing and pervasive documentation means not only posting identity-affirming content but also engaging in documentable identity-affirming activities."(510) Through this Davis argues that SNS users typically update audiences because they feel like they have a reputation to uphold and thus feel like without sharing, they basically don't exist. She supports this notion by adding, "Successful identity verification relies upon the (perceived) acceptance of the presented identity by other, and more directly, it relies upon identity affirmating interactions."(505) Because a person is expected to divide themselves into a multi-dimensional person, their identity pretty much relies on whether their audience perceives them as they should or not. Davis proves that not only are people closely related to things they share online, what they share online basically defines their identity to themselves.

Response

Upon reading the article, I think she does a great job in arguing that online audiences perceive us a certain way based on what we share on social media. Although I don't particularly agree with her when she states that social media users presumably only post things because they want to impress their audience. I mean I guess I can see where she's coming from but I believe she should have some how turned into a statistical find rather than making the general implication that all users share to feel important. Moreover, I think she did a great job in explaining how a social network user splits themselves into a multi-dimensional being in order to share so much on a social platform. I also think it's important that she shares accounts of various study participants in order to come to various conclusions it allows the reader to realize that some people definitely do things different when it comes to what, how, when, and why they share things on social networking sites.

Quotations

"Achieving an ideal-authentic balance entails accomplishing a particular version of the self, but doing so in a seemingly natural way' it is to engage in identity work, while hiding the labor of doing so."(505)

"...the integration of past, present, and future offline interactions within online spaces- updated both in real time and asynchronically- aid in the negotiation of experiential and relationship meanings."(507)

"... like all arenas of identity performance, digitally mediated identity performance represents a particular version of the self. ...networked individuals curate their performances on social network site platforms, highlighting, omitting, and strategically framing identity-based content."(508)

"...many participants express the notion that if one does not post something online, it does not "count," making digital documentation a key criterion of verifiability. "(514)

"In a networked era, the social network site becomes a key interactional arena through which social actors become elicit feedback on identity performances, collaboratively bringing selves into being"(515)

"These artifacts consisting of text, images, tagged connections, and geo-locational check-ins, show audiences a great deal about users' tastes, networks, and personalities."(515)

Sandie Ramirez- Mayorga Summary/Response #2

Sandie Ramirez- Mayorga Summary/Response to:

Herring, Susan C., Kapidzic, Sanja. "Teens, Gender and Self Presentation in Social Media." International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2015. 2nd Ed.Oxford:Elsevier

Summary

In the article, Teens, Gender and Self Presentation in Social Media, authors Herring and Sanja bring to light the vast difference between young adult male and females on social media. Apparently 95% of teens in America have access to or participate on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Although it isn't surprising given that teens are more tech savvy than we were at their age, it is surprising that the percentage of adults using social media is only about 78%. The authors of the article also point out that although girls and boys social media use is about the same within both genders, their internet use is based off of completely different things. According to Herring and Sanja, "...female  participants from the I.S. reported that they pose 'cute' pictures, while male participants were more likely to share pictures and comments that they described as self-promoting and that contained sexual content or references to alcohol."(4) Self representation goes a long way and young adults definitely know this because of what they post. It is apparent that males are more daring to post things that they believe define them rather than being careful of their posts. The authors of the article also highlight the reason why female young adults care more about what they post in response to males' perspective of post by adding, "Female participants expressed more concern about future employers seeing some of their picture and comments especially those related to alcohol than males did..." (4) Although the participants are young, some still see the potential effect this will cause on future job placement. They also add a very import statistic informing that "... 1 in 10 young job applicants were rejected because of content they had posted on social media..."(4)

Herring and Sanja also talk about privacy within social media and the pictures young adults choose as their profile pictures. It is obvious that mostly everyone whom has a social media account studies their picture for acceptance, and as a result girls take longer to approve a profile picture than most boys. Although this appears to be true the content of the profile pictures are quite surprising. The authors point out the reality of choosing profile pictures by adding, "...the vast majority of girls posted profile photographs that presented them in a seductive manner..." while male young adult "...choose photos that showed them at a farther distance.."(5) On the other hand, although many young females chose 'seductive' pictures, their privacy settings happened to only be visible to their friends, which then begs the question, who are their friends. As a result it appears that "Girls' greater concerns about privacy and identity disclosure on social media sites may predispose them to interact with individuals they already know and trust." (5) Thus girls, seem to be a bit more personal with things they share on social media.

Also, the article goes on to describe the truthfulness through social media among the adolescents and expose that most of the time male young adults make their social media audiences perceive them as more masculine by things they share online where as girls have different perception sharing. According to the article "...girls who would describe themselves as "smart" or "kind" offline were more likely to post they were "fun", "funny," or "social" on social network sites, and girls with low self-esteem were somewhat more likely than girls with high self-esteem to describe themselves as "sexy" and "crazy"."(7) While girls and boys seem to know how they want to be perceived, it is important to note that audiences can see through this facade due to what they agree and disagree with. In terms of who the young adult on social media is, there is still a thin veil covering who they truly are even through masking their identity.

Response

This article was interesting to say the least. Since I am a middle school teacher, I could definitely see the correlation difference between what girls and boys share online. It is by far the most confusing time for these young adults because they change so rapidly and are influenced easily as well. What they once thought was interesting and cool may be different in a week. This in fact is what is important from what social media tells about an individual. I also thought it was important to note the fact that young females are so receptive to knowing what can affect their future. Like I posted in another summary, I was surprised when social media sharing was a question in an interview. Going back to my first response, it's easy to understand why some people use SL social media accounts to be who they want online without dealing with repercussions of what they shared or agreed to online. In this digital age of transparency its amazing to see that some are still being reverted into going anonymous or even creating a whole facade through a pseudonym. What I learned the most from this article is that young adults like any adult is careful about what they post on social media, whether it be male or female users.

Quotations

"Girls may be especially concerned  with assuring the privacy of their online profiles because of the greater tendency for females to be harassed online based on their gender."(6)

"...participants' personality scores reflected the observer rating better than the idealized self-descriptions. Thus while teens may consciously distort the truth to appear more attractive, they have less control over how their personality subconsciously influences their profile descriptions."(7)

"Males were more likely to use authoritative language and to respond negatively in interactions, while females were more likely to agree explicitly, support others, and make more personal and emotional contributions."(7)

"'...by looking at other's profiles teens get a sense of what types of presentations are socially appropriate' others' profiles provide critical cues about what to present on their own profile'." (9)

"More generally, social media sites provide a space where teens can explore the effects of their self-presented image on others. In many cases posting pictures and comments will generate positive feedback and could have a positive impact on teenagers' self-esteem."(9)

Sandie Ramirez- Mayorga Summary/Response #1

Sandie Ramirez-Mayorga's Summary/Response to:

Bullingham, Liam. Vasconcelos, Ana C. "'The presentation of self in the online world' : Goffamnd and the study of online identities." Journal of Information Science, vol. 39, no.1, 2013, pp. 1-12, doi:10.177/016555150000000

Summary

Bullingham and Casconcelos article 'The presentation of self in the online world' : Goffamnd and the study of online identities questions self identity of individuals with second life (SL) blogs or social media accounts and how they perceive themselves to their audience. At the beginning the authors give us an understanding to SL persona's through Goffman's interpretations of self identity in an online world. Terms such as front stage/backstage behavior and mask help the reader understand why a person in a SL community would post or react to things in a certain way. The authors' write that "Because 'a mask of manner can be held in place from within' an individual can bring forth certain aspects of his/her self in the interaction while simultaneously marginalizing others."(1) In other words, the SL author is not becoming another person, they are simply playing a role with two faces.

While some individuals with SL persona's characterized themselves as being very true to their audience, others believed the sole reason for their SL accounts was to be someone else entirely and not have to conform to any social norms that society or family had restrained them to. The article supports this theory by stating, "... by self-censoring, these bloggers are forced to present a politically-acceptable persona ..." (4) Many individuals with SL accounts see this as a management of impression that is so much easier to uphold rather than to be opening up face-to-face with another person. The authors make note of this by stating. "The distance between performer and audience that physical detachment provides makes it easy to conceal aspects of the offline self and embellish them online." (2) Thus giving an individual the freedom to both be true to themselves offline and online.

The authors then explain that there is another form of identity SL individuals may use called blended identity in which the individuals offline self reflects more on their online self. Some individuals interviewed stated that in order to create such a transparency through their social media, they let a lot of their offline selves influence their online personas whether it be by a simple user name, or an avatar that looks closely like their true selves. According to the article, this is what Goffman referred to when he used the terms front/backstage performance. Although some individuals conform to social media by using this form of identity, the result of using such technique reverts the online persona to the offline person most of the time.

Response

I thought this article was definitely interesting, especially because there are so many people that express themselves through social media such as blogs. Since I wasn't very familiar with blogs and what goes into creating them, I thought this article was definitely eye opening. What surprised me the most was that some SL individuals that use pseudonyms are constantly fighting a battle to be their true selves. I was able to relate to this because my social media has to be censored due to my profession. When I was applying to become a teacher I was asked specifically what my social media accounts were. As surprising as this was, it helped me gain an understanding as to why some individuals only post or react to certain things.

Another thing I found very interesting is the time some bloggers take to create this online persona by giving readers just enough information for them to understand and trust the person behind the screen. Like I mentioned before, blogging was something I was not fully understanding of and I think that it's amazing what a person can do through a blog. Reaching others through a blog whether it be true or half true always seems to amaze me. I've always been more of a face-to-face type of person to the point where I constantly loose my phone because I never use it. To think that there are others that feel more confident behind a computer is pretty inspiring to a person like myself. The most important thing I got from this article is why some people go full on true to themselves and why others don't include any of their offline persona into their online presentation.

Quotations

"Individuals, therefore, encouraged by separation and the absence of effective retaliation, are encouraged to adopt a different online persona, but the effect is finite in that there is the need to observe rules and conventions local to the online community or environment." (4)

"Extreme emotions here indicate sincerity, as the blog this appears raw and unedited. This confessional style suggest that the reader is being given access to powerful feelings that have note been altered for style or storytelling, but rather, are sincere." (7)

"Perhaps the division of self is necessary due to the complexity of the offline self. It is a 'melting pot' of different contexts which need to be married, but in the online environment it is simpler and more relevant to divined the self into aspects like 'professional' or 'storytelling'."(8)

"By masking identity, this fear may be reduced, as the act cannot be carried through to the offline person. An avatar can be deleted, but if the negative act happens to an avatar associated with an offline person, then the act might seem more personal and permanent for the user..." (9)

"Releasing such information invites blog readers to treat the blogging self as one and the same as the RL self." (9)

Sandie Ramirez-Mayorga Summary/Response #4

Sandie Ramirez-Mayorga Summary/Response to:

Gilly, Mary C. Jensen Shau, Hope. "We Are What We Post? Self-Presentation in Personal Web Space." Journal of Consumer Research, vol.30, no. 3, 2003,pp. 385-404. JSTOR.
www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/378616

Summary

In the article, We Are What We Post? Self-Presentation in Personal Web Space, Shau gives four ways in which a person represents themselves online and the strategies they use in order to do so. The first strategy is constructing the digital self, which allows the profile creator to add what others want them to know about them which includes identifying themselves in means that separate things that make them look good with others that may have a negative perspective on their online persona as well as perceptions others may have on the profile creator's real life (RL) self. Although this may vary, the authors add that, "Consumers construct and post several personal Web sites as a form of conspicuous self-presentation whee every elements is chosen for its semiotic potential, The sites vary in complexity and approaches but across informants, we find constructing the digital self as a telepresence to be universal."(394) The second strategy is projecting a digital likeness, although they aren't putting up pictures of themselves, they are creating avatars in which users create a persona that is not always true, but it's how they see themselves. The authors solidify this strategy by adding, "Creating a specif telepresence, a digital self, means imparting a social presence whether it relates to the body or the intangible self-concept."(395) In other words, the avatars users are creating doesn't necessarily have to be true as long as what they share is more adhering to their RL identity. The third strategy is digital association,which the authors describe as "...digital likeness refers to web site creator' efforts to reference their physical bodies, digital association refers to efforts to reference relationships with objects,places and so forth. Digital stimuli are appropriated or manipulated to convey meaning." (396) Users not only have the freedom to share when they want, they also gain the freedom to identify themselves with different objects such as quotes, pictures of certain things and even brands. In a sense, they brand themselves with things that define who the are; whether they can afford them or not. Finally, the fourth strategy is reorganizing linear narrative structures, which allows a user to tell other users about themselves by using hyperlinking objects. Through using hyperlinked objects, users identify themselves with different things that help other users get to know them.

Response

I think Shau and Gilly really took their time to not only see the identity that some users decide to have in the online world, they noticed that branding is pretty much what a user does when they describe themselves in a certain way. I definitely agree with the notion that what we share in online places describes the type of person we are. For example, I could share a certain quote about struggling events in life. It doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going through such events, it just means that I can relate to it. I remember liking the Christian Lou Boutin page on Facebook and not having any pairs myself but by liking the page I kind of made a reference to the fact that I not only like the brand, but that one day I would have a pair of shoes. At the end of the day, we are perceived a certain way to the online world based on what we share, like or post and I believe Shau and Gilly did a pretty good job in defining that in this article.

Quotations

"The social actions required for self-presentation are consumption oriented and depend upon individuals displaying signs, symbols, brads, and practices to communicate the desired impression."(387)

"In essence, we may indeed be what we have self-presented, but we are also a great deal more. Web sites give consumers greater freedom to express their identities through digital association rather than ownership or proximity, Thus, consumers' ideal values may be revealed more clearly in personal Web space than in RL."(387)

"In cyberspace, meaning is communicated far beyond the people in proximity to the communicator; instead, the world is watching. The underlying assumption is that, by studying people's possession portfolios, other gain access to the possessor's intangible self."(388)

"We find that the reasons consumers self-present in personal Web space are similar to the reasons that they self-present off-line in many respects. In both RL and personal Web space, consumers desire to communicate constructed selves."(399)

"In RL, associations is limited; consumers often run up against financial, space, or proximal limitations in associating themselves with brands."(400)

Summary Response 5: "How the Mind Works" M. Elizabeth Garza 7/29

Summary/Response: “How the Mind Works” M. Elizabeth Garza 7/29/18

Pinker, Steven. “How the Mind Works.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 6 Feb. 2006, doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632. 1999.tb08538. x.

In the book “How the mind works,” by Steven Pinker, He elaborates that the mind process using evolution biology, the author believe that the cognition and the consciousness work together, that the mind is computational and neural activity in the brain physically implements that. Therefore, the brain works like a computer. He adds and explains how computation works in the brain, that the brain increases enigma and that our brain process in computation theory and Darwinian evolution. Pinker clarifies that although the mind and the brain are not the same, the mind is connected to the brain but at the same time disconnected from the brain. The brain can be reflected in the mind. The brain can be separated into the amount that it transfers out the mind's psychological process. He adds that our brain is shaped into a mosaic of tiny patches. He adds that the brain is the actual organ that has the mental functions. Therefore, Pinky accepts as true, that the mind is the result of biology, and logical adjustment to human being surroundings; rather than values, beliefs, customs, language, and traditions or the sociological process.

 After reading this print, part of the book of Steven Pinker, “How the brain works.” Pinker starts his book with useful details of how the brain is an extraordinary organ and gives an excellent example of computation, evolution, and specialization which is all helpful information in describing the brain. However, I do not agree with a statement that he makes, the brain works like a computer or a device., If indeed our brains worked like a machine then how can we then be our individual? Another aspect while reading this article was the part where the author writes about how we humans have a problem with eating worms, and we are disgusted by the idea of eating them. Wherein other countries they are safe to eat and furthermore and are nutritious. I believe that our brains do not process the same and for that reason, we all have a unique view, that is based on how our brain process information, our ideas, and identities that share a portion and bring our individualism and perception to one which inclines back to our brains don’t work as a computer or machines.

KEY TERMS: 

Paradox

REFERENCES:

Pinker, Steven. “So How Does the Mind Work?” Language, Cognition, and Human Nature, 2013, pp. 269–292., doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199328741.003.0010.

Planning and Implementing the Multimedia Networked ESL Laboratory Classroom.

ERIX FLORES

Best, Linda. “Planning and Implementing the Multimedia Networked ESL Laboratory Classroom.” Research and Teaching in Developmental Education, vol. 14, no. 2, 1998, pp. 75–86. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42801999.

SUMMARY:

In this article the author Linda Best composes an ESL lab class structure that focuses on maximizing the English language acquisition for ESL students at a college level through the use of technology.  This person is the pioneer of technological integration and digital literacy for both staff and students.  This was around the time that the internet was being used in the public.  It was not popular at the time but it was on their way to be used in the public.  The author did take advantage of this change in society in order to make a change in the learning in education in general.

In this article, the author does not only wanted to integrate technology in the ESL classroom in the college level, but lab assistants were hired, and other professors/educators were attending professional development on how to effectively use this lab in order to maximize English language acquisition through the use of this lab.  Back in 1996 it was pretty obvious that many educators pushed back the idea due to the lack of knowledge of technology and internet.  At the time, many people did not know what was the internet for, so this is why the author developed this professional development for staff in order to be educated in the matter, and developed guidelines for students, professors, lab assistants, and administrators.

Moreover, the author also envisioned on buying software that will assist the learning of ESL students.  Although they did buy the software the school was not able to buy the software that the author envisioned due to the lack of funds but was postponed until next year.  Lastly, the author also touches on why the technological integration with ESL students will help them develop skills that will be required in the work force as well as developing social skills that fit into the American culture.  This is why I say that this author was the pioneer of technology education because she knew how the concept work and what benefits came with the use of technology.

REFLECTION:

Like I mentioned before,  Best was a pioneer of technology education because she had the right concept in place when it came with the learning benefits that comes along with technology.  The reason why I admire the knowledge that this author has is because this article was composed in 1998 and the plan to execute a ESL computer lab was back in 1996 where the internet was slowly becoming part of society, a lot of educators and people in general did not know what was the internet for and much less they would know that technology and internet would serve as a tool for learning.  Moreover, the author was ahead in terms of technology education and integrating it into a classroom.

Best did not only educate her students on how to maximize their English language acquisition but also had the right mindset that technology would not only help them learn but also help them get familiarized with the American culture and acquire skills that would ultimately benefit them in the work force, Best developed these guidelines in her article in which many educators at the time would have never thought about it.  In addition, she did not limit herself on educating the students but the lab assistants, educators, and staff in general since it was a new concept that Best started to integrate in the facility.  Moreover, there was a push back due to the lack of knowledge in terms of technology but it was a matter of getting the staff educated in the matter.

One thing that I wish the author could have done differently in this article and her project is to develop a class and professional development of how all of these technological skills that are being taught to both staff and students translate in the physical world.  I just think that the author could have developed a hands-on activity for both staff and students to execute the skills that they have acquired through the use of technology into the physical world.  After all, this was back in the late 1990s in which the world did not revolve around technology as much as we do today.  I would have like to see how all of these technological skills, community and identity that they author built in this project would have ultimately benefit in the physical world due to the time period that this was executed.

I do want to emphasize that I do like what the author developed here.  Best had the right idea in mind and in my opinion she was ahead of her time since she inadvertently knew that technology was going to be the new society and building the ESL students and staff knowledge, identity, and digital literacy would ultimately help in their academics as well as the work force since many of the technological skills were required in certain job labors.

QUOTATIONS:

 In the room I envisioned, technology would play an integral part in the curriculum rather than serving as an add-on or supplement.

 The effort to integrate technology into ESL instruction at Kean University has generated unique discussions about assessment and the nature of student progress. Certainly, improvements in knowledge about grammar and, more importantly, students' awareness of how to apply this knowledge to their own skills have been evident.


My aim was to transform the University's ESL Program into a model for computer- assisted interactive language learning and move beyond the frustration I was experiencing with outdated equipment and inadequate software.

Priscilla Zamora: Summary/Response 4

“The Ideal Self at Play.” Philosophy of the Social Sciences, journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797611418676.

Link: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797611418676

Summary:

In this article, two studies have been made to see whether video games allow players to be their ideal-selves. The first study was made to see if games allowed players to experience their ideal-self characteristics and in turn, seeing if that motivated them to play. To do this, they recruited undergraduates to play three different video games and then had them complete questionnaires. The second study’s hypothesis was to find out whether gameplay would make the players’ game-self-ideal-self greater. In this study, people were only allowed to participate if they had previously played video games at least one month prior. The subjects then had to answer more questionnaires. In the end, their hypothesis was correct: video games do allow players to be their ideal selves.

Response:

I think that the method of asking the subjects what they thought of themselves before they conducted their tests was key to their study because studies like this could not be coherent without understanding the subjects’ ideal-self and actual-self characteristics. If I were doing a similar study, I may have done the same. It’s important to know how a person feels about themselves when you’re trying to figure out who they are and/or who they aspire to be.

Self-confidence is key when it comes to any type of identity. The same holds true for the identity we have in the digital (video game) world. I believe that the avatars we create, the type of games we play and how we play said games has a lot to do with our ideal-self and actual-self characteristics. This article has confirmed for me the fact that it is our self-confidence that dictates both our ideal-self and actual-self.

Quotations:

“Video-game players can act in ways that are congruent with idealized views of the self and can experience abilities and satisfactions that are difficult to access in everyday life” (70).

“…convergence between people’s experience of themselves during play and their concept of their ideal selves was related to enjoyment of play…” (74).

“…virtual environments, like close relationships, may be motivating to the degree that they allow individuals to experience ideal aspects of themselves” (74).

“…games provide players with access to ideal aspects of themselves…” (75).

Terms:

Ideal-self characteristics- how people would like to experience themselves

Game-self characteristics- how individuals experience themselves when playing video games

Actual-self characteristics- how people are in their everyday lives

Game-self-ideal-self convergence- the overlap between a player’s ideal-self characteristics and those that he or she experiences while playing video games

Rachel Gonzales Summary Response # 3

     Addictive Behaviors

Neurobiological correlates of physical self-concept and self-identification
with avatars in addicted players of Massively Multiplayer Online
Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs)☆
Tagrid Leménager, Julia Dieter, Holger Hill, Anne Koopmann, Iris Reinhard, Madlen Sell, Falk Kiefer, Sabine Vollstädt-Klein, Karl Mann. 

https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezhost.utrgv.edu/science/article/pii/S0306460314002287

Summary: This article includes attempts to understand the reasons behind "computer and online gaming addiction," mostly seen in Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG's) (2). This study shows that addicted MMORPG'ers have a strong deficits in "social, emotional and physical self-aspects and a higher degree of self identification with avatars" unlike the non-addicted gamer. They hypothesized that the avatar was created (by the gamer) to compensate for the persons own self-concept. Meaning, the addicted player, unlike the non-addicted play, tends to have low self-esteem causing them to be depended on their avatar which is the better version of themselves. They used research from previous studies regarding the brains ability to identify itself by firing neurons in the fronto-parietal network. In short, this part of the brain (Left Angular Gyrus) is involved in the encoding of self-perception and its delineation from others (2).

Similarly, these researches wanted to add to the previous finds by analyzing the different brain activity in non-addicted players vs addicted players. They ultimately wanted to understand the difference, by watching the brain activity, in self-concept from the two types of gamers and their connection to their avatars. After months of screening, to find the proper subjects, the researchers began to conducted many test. One being a chart with a picture of the subject's body as well as his avatar. They also included three unknown persons with similar and opposite sex. They were shown eight different angles of the figures and all were in the same clothing, while the avatar was shown without its weaponry and in the same clothes. They found that non-addicted players had a normal left AG activation with their avatars and themselves vs the addicted players. The addicted gamers had bilateral AG activity with their avatars as well as, the three random strangers that were placed on the chart. Similar with previous findings, "our psychometric data revealed that addicted MMORPG gamers displayed a higher BMI and showed a more extended negative ‘vital body image’ by rating

themselves as having less physical power, health and fitness. Furthermore, they exhibited a lower gender identity and a tendency to evaluate their physical appearance as more negative." (5) The addicted players had higher brain activity on both left and right sides of their AG with their avatar, opposite sex and same sex strangers than they did with themselves.  

Response:

 Through a psychoanalytic perspective, this makes sense to me. It is common for people who have self esteem issues to immerse themselves in a virtual world were they can recreate themselves to their liking. It was interesting to see the process of the researchers backing up the psychological theory of self-concept (self loathing) with physical evidence in connection to the brain and how it chooses to identify itself. I believe this takes the notion of avatar player relationship to the next level because it shows that addicted players not only connect but rely on their avatars of acceptance within a whole other world. Meaning, what they believe they lack in the real word, the make up for in the virtual world with their avatar. 

Citation:

Leménager, Tagrid. Dieter, et al.  Neurobiological correlates of physical self-concept and self-identification with avatars in addicted players of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs), Addictive Behaviors. Volume 39, Issue 12, 2014, Pages 1789-1797, ISSN 0306-4603, (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306460314002287)