Virtual Space and Place
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| Virtual World |
‘A sense of place
is created when people apply moral and aesthetic judgments to a location’ (Tuan
1979, p. 417). As humans, we all do have our own space (bubble or cocoon like)
and it’s not visible but we can make the invisible, visible. How? Maybe,
through our way of behaving. This morning in my tutorial class, someone came
and sat next to me (on my left). My first reaction was to bend myself a little
bit on my right but there's another way in which we can make it 'existent'.
'Little is known about how individuals come to relate to settings in virtual worlds (VWs), which are defined as digital environments in which individuals, groups and even organizations interact in virtual (that is to say, nonphysical) spaces.' stated C. Sanders, in her article about Virtual Space and Place. She clearly analysed that, we humans, have this capacity to create a Second Life (SL) on virtual networks. My Second Life on my social network helps me in getting rid of all life's ordeals as once connected to Facebook, you automatically forget what troubles you in life.
'When trying to make something have a sense to us, we perceive & construct thus making it symbolic.' (Van Luyn, 2013). Virtual networks, enable us users to have interactive experiences but differently. On Facebook, I feel free to write, discuss and share posts, knowing that I will get comments (+ve &-ve) and through writing, I express myself better. Everything that I post on my social network is of importance to me as it describes my inner thus it is symbolic to me. Some people might not understand but others will. On my Facebook, I have a sense of belongingness. I feel like it is my place and even though all Facebook's accounts look apparently the same in appearance, I think that they are all different according to the user's profile (likes, statuses, posts...)
References:
Tuan, Y. (1979). Language and the Making of Place: A Narrative-Descriptive Approach. In Annals of the Association of American Geographers. p.417
Tuan, Y. (1979). Language and the Making of Place: A Narrative-Descriptive Approach. In Annals of the Association of American Geographers. p.417
Sanders. C. (2011). Virtual Space and Place: Theory and Test. Retrieved on 29th August, 2013, from
Van
Luyn, A. (2013)-BA1002: Our Space:
Networks, Narratives and the Making of Place, Lecture 5: Narrative [Power Point Slides]. Retrieved from:
http://learnjcu.au.edu
Image Credits:
Fillwark. J., Brown. A. (2012). Virtual Space and Place. Retrieved from http://www.dexigner.com/news/24757
Hi Laetitia, you raised some really interesting points about the freedoms we feel when interacting on Facebook. Particularly when we are writing posts, statuses and using other Facebook features such as ‘like’. I think it’s these activities that not only builds our virtual identity, but also turns this relatively ‘template’ virtual space into ‘place’. The concept of place today is not restricted to a physical space. So like the example Tuan (1991, p.690) draws with rat and mole, our virtual space is also ‘”cold” without people, and come[s] alive with them’. Thus, through chatting, liking, commenting, and other similar activities we are connecting and networking with other people. It’s this constant networking with friends, colleagues, family, and people with similar interests that allows us to feel ‘at home’ in Facebook. It serves the same purpose as if all of those people were in the same ‘physical space’.
ReplyDeleteTuan, Y. (1991). Language and the making of place: A narrative-descriptive approach. In Annals of the Association of Amercian Geographers, 81(4), 684-696.