Il ressemble à un pipe.

Fig. 1 in relation to reason 2.

 In this week's reading of the McNeill article, the author wrote about how Mark Zuckerberg said that one has only one identity, which is why people are expected to use their actual name on Facebook. (McNeill, 2012). Unlike Facebook, my chosen social network, Advanced Anime, allows and encourages users to adopt more “artificial” identities. In comparison to Facebook, most users on Advanced Anime use made-up names and avatars that aren't photos of one's self, most of which unsurprisingly are related to anime. I believe that this is beneficial to the community on the site, for the following reasons:

1. It helps to engender engagement with the purpose of the community. That purpose being the liking of anime. The using of identities chosen for use within this community means that said identities can be tailored for full expression of the user's intentions and activities within the community. For example, one user may like to write fan fiction and post that fiction on the site. Using a name not their own would allow the adoption of a pen-name. For getting people to read their works among countless others an interesting or relevant name for the writer may garner more attention, thus create a larger audience for the writer.
2. One doesn't have to worry about their profile coming up in search results, so if they don't feel that their membership of the site or contributions to it would give the best impression of themselves to prospective searchers such as employers; they can feel safe in the knowledge that this pastime of theirs is anonymous.
   
   
   On a different note, the lecture this week talked about narrative. During the lecture one of the slides had this image:  

   

   Fig. 2 Il ressemble à un pipe.

    Which reminded me of this video from the PBS Idea Channel, in which the question is asked, "Is the role of the text ... to communicate the exact, precise thoughts of the creator?" (Rugnetta, 2013)
   In the lecture Dr Van Luyn said, “We can't transpose our experience into another person's mind.”
   There are imperfections, ambiguities, and assumptions made in all forms of communication. No matter what combination of words or images I use, I can never pick up a thought from my head and drop it into yours so you to have the same thought as I do. To once again quote Rugnetta, "In other words, does the modern text have to convey the exact meaning of the author? Uh, no."
   In the end we have to make assumptions about the meaning of other's communication based upon our own thoughts and knowledge.
   
   
   References
   McNeill, L. (2012). There Is No "I" in Network: Social Networking Sites and Posthuman Auto/Biography. Biography, 35(1), 19. doi: 10.1353/bio.2012.0009
   Rugnetta, M. (2013, August 5). Does It Matter What Evangelions Creator Says? [Video file.] Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVm65tlhqw8
   
   

   Images

   Fig. 1, [Sticker], retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Anounmous-Japan-decals-stickers-Occupy/dp/B008QQ9MFO

   Magritte, René (Artist). (1828). The Treachery of Images [Painting]. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Retrieved from http://www.thediscerningbrute.com/2011/04/15/the-treachery-of-images/