Mapping Space on Facebook!
By Kiara Pellegrini
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| Image From: http://www.lostinidaho.me/2011/05/dont-burst-my-bubble.html |
We
understand maps as objects that we use when searching for our chosen
destination. However, we learnt in our lecture that maps can also reflect how
we see the world and how power is seen in the world (Petray, 2013).
The virtual
world that I have decided to focus on and analyse throughout the upcoming weeks
is facebook. Facebook and I have been in each other’s lives for about five
years now, but have only started to really get to know each other in the last
two. It has allowed me to document my teenage life and has become my diary. I
have been able to stay in contact with my friends and family as well as do the
occasional stalking. Facebook has been a great invention for the virtual world
and improves daily; from posting “what’s on your mind”, to sharing videos and
having private conversations.
Natalie
Wolchover explains personal space in a physical sense over at www.livescience.com but what about our space on facebook?
Through
facebook we view life differently; we gain more confidence to control our
situations online by editing, deleting and typing. I believe we become quite
territorial when it comes to our facebook profile because we view it as our
personal space. The network itself has been designed to give us the power and
control over what is allowed to be posted and who we want to view it. It has
been upgraded to be mapped out as a timeline allowing us to record important
social events that have occurred in our lives. Denis, Ward and Bob describe that
maps show accurate information to what is wanted to be descripted but doesn’t reveal
the whole truth and can be quite biased (2006, p.3) . This can easily relate to
facebook because the truth can be marginalised within the virtual world; the
user has the ability to make themselves seem more appealing online, whether
through editing photos or making their lives sound more exciting then they actually
are.
Reference List
Petray,
T. (2012). BA1002: Our
Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, Lecture 3: Maps: Seeing
and Representing the world. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au
Wolchover,
W. (06/2012): Why Do we have personal space?. 14 08, 2013. http://www.livescience.com/20801-personal-space.html
Wood,
D. Kaiser, W. L. Abramms, B. ( 2006): Seeing Through Maps: Many ways to see the
world. UK. New Internationalist Publications.
Image
Credits
Anonymous.
(2011):Dont burst my bubble. Retrieved from
http://www.lostinidaho.me/2011/05/dont-burst-my-bubble.html
Kiara, this is a great analysis on the concept of mapping and virtual space. Your blog resonated with me because you addressed a point about an individual's profile as being a personal space and a territory. In my blog, 'Centred on our on FACEbook,' I argue that Facebook can be seen as our 'home range' because our account is customised and shaped by our interactions with the people we choose to be friends with online. However, after reading your blog I can see territorial aspects in an individual's profile as well. Often on maps, the creator or the privileged group decides the territories and thus, this becomes the 'truth' (Wood et al., 2001). In Facebook's case, the truth about a territory (profile) is decided by the individuals themselves. The individual has the power to alter the ‘truth’ of his or her own identity. This comes back to your point that the information that is described on our own (mappable) profiles is either consciously or unconsciously selected to create a positive and likeable image of ourselves.
ReplyDeleteKiara!
ReplyDeleteGreat view on how Facebook gives you the power to be anything you want to be. I think that one of the most important factors about Facebook, is just this ability to become who ever you want to be. As it was written in this weeks reading, they talk about the definition of distort and how some maps may seem misleading and not very true. In one way you can say that your territory on Facebook becomes misleading, just because you have opportunity to make yourself more interesting and appealing than what you are. But then again, every map serves a purpose (Wood, D., Kaiser, W.L., & Abramms, B.) So because of this statement, the map that reflects on your Facebook profile, becomes true for whatever purpose lies under it.
Kiara, what a wonderful analysis of the role of Facebook in the mapping if space. I particularly liked when you discussed the possibility of Facebook pages becoming bias(Ward, 2006). One of the concepts discussed in this weeks lecture was that many maps are distorted and are not a true representation (Petray, 2013). This distortion can easily be identified throughout our own personal Facebook maps, through the editing of photos and misleading information that we as the user, may have entered to create a more appealing cyber identity.
ReplyDelete