My
timeline is my self-narrative. I have the option to rename myself, and portray
myself in the best light possible, and create a virtual identity that will be
seen by my 5 close friends and 100 of my closest acquaintances. As a user of
Facebook however, I have chosen to keep my name, as I want to be found easily
by my friends and family.
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Facebook Icon
The
only function of my name on Facebook is identification; it does not imply
anything about my identity, like a nickname or a false name would. Ariella
spoke during the lecture about how human beings create place by attaching
experience to specific sites in their minds, and how these places in turn shape
the lives of human beings (Van Luyn, 2013). This concept is very easily applied
to my timeline. My Facebook timeline is a place that I create through witty
thoughts that I sometimes spend too much time writing, and photos that I upload
because they position me in the best possible light. These words that I post to
my virtual place - my timeline - shape my identity in the eyes of others, as
most people are exposed to my timeline for longer than they are exposed to
actual me. The right to speak, and be heard and have a
name that ‘sticks’ is given to me on Facebook (Taun, 1991). All of my social
network can see my posts, and since my name and profile picture are placed next
to my post my friends will associate me with these posts.
References
Tuan, Y. (1991) Language and the Making of
Place: A Narrative-Descriptive Approach. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 81, No. 4, pp. 684-696. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2563430
Van Luyn, A.
(2013) BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narratives and the Making of Place, Lecture
5: Stories and Places. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
http://learnjcu.edu.au
Image Credits
Facebook Icon. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/images/fb_icon_325x325.png
ReplyDeleteWhat a great blog post! i agree with your statement that your Facebook timeline is your own self narrative. In our lecture it was discussed that the way in which a person may see a place is dictated by the narrative that is written (van luyn, 2013). Thereby the post that you write and are tagged in not only effect your sense of place, but also shape others opinions of you. It also must be noted that you are not the only person attaching experiences to your timeline, and the remarks of others can either illuminate or disenchant a persons sense of place (Tuan, 1991).
References
Tuan, Y. (1991). Language and the making of place: A narrative-descriptive approach. In Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 81(4), 684-696.
Van Luyn, A. (2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narratives, and the Making of Place, Lecture 5, [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au