REFLECT:RETOUCH:REDEFINE

REF LECT :RETOUCH:REDEF INE

BY LUC IA ULC

WE HAVE ALL BECOME

WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?Over the span of the past two centuries the introduction

of technological mediums has given way to new methods

by which to represent our society and ourselves.

Traditional tools of self-reflection have been replaced as

the Internet and our online identity have created means

through which we become the authors of ourselves as we

appear to the masses. Social media, specifically Facebook,

has created platforms for idealizing and optimizing our

identity, which begs the question, how does this malleable

medium change how we define our identity in society and

how we view ourselves as individuals?

WHY IS IT RELEVANT?The merit in dissecting the shifting role of the social media

user exists in the sheer number of present online brands.

As of January 2012 Facebook has accumulated 845 million

users. The amount of time and energy spent engaging in

online outlets for communication and information can

also be attributed to the act of redefining ourselves on

the Internet. There exists a virtual community that we are

all, in some way, populating and contributing to. Moving

away from the common argument that users utilize social

media to communicate with friends and keep updated

on current events, online networking has shifted how we

view ourselves as individuals and how we view ourselves

as we relate to a larger society.

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Chaper 1 discusses how users become subjects through their activity and involvement, and individually fi nd merit

in various components of social media websites. The wide-spread use of networks such as Twitter and Facebook,

as well as the growing collection of Smartphone applications, have supplied the tools that transform people into

photographers, news transmitters, social commentators, scrap bookers, fashion/music critics, etc. This type of

interaction has, to some degree, integrated itself into everyone’s day-to-day lives. As subjects we are the active

observers of other online entities, which indicates the existence of our second typecast: that of an object.

01

02

03

USER AS SUBJECT

USER AS OBJECT

USER AS SPECTACLE

The ability to act as an author-of-self puts greater focus on how users brand themselves as objects, and how

Facebook has, quite possibly, created an environment for self-actualization. All users have consequently become

designers. Their role as the communication-planners of their online brand involves varying degrees of subterfuge.

Whether it be diminishing or highlighting aspects of self, this idealized persona is carefully cultivated and

subsequently transmitted to the online community. Chapter 2 details how users have transformed themselves

into the products and commodities of social media, all meticulously packaged and submitted into circulation as

advertisements of an online brand.

Due to the evolution of mediums, identity is no longer based on the mind and body relationship with self, but

instead on the perceptions of others. Traditionally, mirrors acted as the dominating instrument for self-refl ection;

pensively observing yourself you are able to see yourself as others see you. Following mirrors came photographs

and videos; all mediums that garner an audience. We become objective evaluators of ourselves, and therefor

become self-conscious. Our most recent tool for self-refl ection is the visual structure that comes along with our

online identity. The relevancy of this contemporary medium for self-refl ection lies in its ability to be edited. We

have essentially been handed a mirror with which can refi ne ourselves as we appear to an audience.




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USER ASSUBJECT

We have all become crafters.

We have all become publishers.

We have all become engagers.

We have adopted new expertise and skill.

WE HAVE EMPLOYED OURSELVES UNDER A DIGITAL UMBRELLA OF DISCIPLINES.

The evolution of social media has created a new role for the frequent user. The fi rst of these is the typecast of subject.

We have become the subjects of interactive experiences and applications. We have been handed the means to transform

into roles that would have otherwise not been possible.

5

WEHAVE ALL BECOME

PHOTOGRAPHERS

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lucia catharinalucia catharina

The only camera we now need comes with our cell phone. Those who pursued the traditional craft of photography are

becoming exceedingly marginalized as the vast majority of social media consumers have been handed the means to create,

edit, and share photographs in lightning speed. We’ve all become photographers. No longer used to just document moments

and people, this new media has shifted mundane photos into works of art. Color, tone, contrast, lighting, framing, fi lm leaks,

etc at the tap of a touch screen.

REPORTECOMMENTATO

BROADCASTE

“Electric circuitry profoundly involves men with one

another. Information pours upon us, instantaneously

and continuously. As soon as information is acquired,

it is very rapidly replaced by still newer information”

- Marshall Mcluhan

The Medium is the Massage

TR

11

Twitter is at the forefront of information communication,

giving users the roles of newscasters - many times lacking

credibility. Twitter has famously reported the deaths of

hundreds of celebrities, many times inaccurately. Barrack

Obama, Aretha Franklin, and Eddie Murphy round off the

top three spots of a long list of falsifi ed celebrity deaths1.

The speedy nature of Twitter’s information spread was

also the forefront source announcing the 2011 December

Tottenham riots, receiving thousands of online mentions

before reporters and journalists had even reached the riot

scene2. Additionally, Osama bin Laden’s death had become

old news by the time President Obama made his televised

offi cial announcement of the al Qaeda leader’s death3.

Thanks to ‘trending topics’ and the infamous hashtag,

users have taken on the role of news broadcasters and

commentators. We actively feed off of our ability to engage

in this revolutionary means to communicate news and events.

Thanks to Facebook status updates, ReTweets, Instant Messaging and the tool of text message communication in general,

we no longer rely on newspapers to keep us up-to-date on current events. News now spreads like wildfi re, and beyond

simply passing information along we are also weighing in and communicating opinions along with the sweeping of reports.

ARBITRATORS OF APPROVAL

AIt has become common knowledge that the ‘thumbs up’ icon

signifi es a ‘like’ on Facebook, the blue bird button ReTweets

to Twitter, and the +1 corresponds to the Google+ social

network. Everything has become commented, blogged, and

tweeted and everyone has been given a voice. Almost every

existing product, article, service and person that exists online

has submitted themselves into the ‘like’ culture4; the display

of approval through a large number of networks is readily

available and actively pursued. In this way, social media users

are able to cast their vote of opinion on almost any topic and

have therefore been given yet another engaging role to fi ll.

BE THE FIRST ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS TO LIKE THIS

The last subjective role social media users have engaged

themselves in is that of a designer. The user has been handed

the ability to design their brand and implement a process by

which they market themselves to others. Communicating

visually how, in an idealized environment, they wish to be

seen to an audience, networking has provided users with

endless tools to shape personality aspects, traits, hobbies,

and an overall sense-of-self.

In the same way that celebrities and products are the

results of identity branding, we have begun building brand

equity for ourselves. Whether it’s for a business audience, a

potential romantic audience, a network of friends, or simply

for ourselves as our idealized versions, we are all presently

designers in light of this.

weʼre al l designers.

17




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USER ASO B J E C T

We have all become crafted.

We have all become published.

We have all become products.

WE HAVE TRANSMITTED OURSELVES INTO A REALM OF CIRCULATION.

The second typecast we’ve been transformed into is that of an object. As many of the social media services are free, we

are no longer the customers but have instead become the products. The concept of user in the simulated environment

of social networking has transformed our identity into a packaged and trasmitted commodity. Our online brand has

taken the transparent question of identity and created a structured version of self, along with the millions of users we

have lined ourselves up next to.

19

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOURSELF?

II

how would you feel about going somewhere isolated and being alone

there with your thoughts? what are some major changes in your

personality that have happened in the past three years? what areas of

your life/aspects of your personality do you feel you conceal the most?

how important is your appearance to you, versus your intelligence

or your hobbies? give fi ve words you feel describes your personality

as you interact face-to-face. how do you feel people confi de in

you or see you as trustworthy/sympathetic? what opinion do you

want people to have of you when they fi rst meet you? what are

three good things about you regarding relationships with others?

what are three bad things about you regarding relationships with

others? where do you see yourself in fi ve years? - hopefully and

realistically? how much do your hobbies and friends come before

a relationship? what are some faults they might fi nd after getting

to know you? how much do you feel like an adult vs. a child and

still learning? how willing are you to put people’s needs in front

of your own? give fi ve words you feel describe the way you see

yourself. what are some of the largest obstacles you’ve overcome?

what is your role at a party where you know everyone? how

important is being fi nancially successful to you? what is your role

at a party where you know no one? do you feel you know your

identity very well? how important is human interaction for you?

what types of people irritate you the most? how important is

music to you and why? how important is it for you to be liked?

how do you typically meet people? do you consider yourself

cultured? when do you feel most attractive? do you see yourself

as attractive? what do you lie about the most? how important is

family to you? do you consider yourself smart? what are your guilty

pleasures? what are some of your fears? do you get irritated easily?

WHAT CONSTITUTES THE CRITERIA?1

24

3

5

??how would you feel about going somewhere isolated and being alone

?how would you feel about going somewhere isolated and being alone

there with your thoughts? what are some major changes in your

?there with your thoughts? what are some major changes in your

personality that have happened in the past three years? what areas of

?personality that have happened in the past three years? what areas of

your life/aspects of your personality do you feel you conceal the most?

?your life/aspects of your personality do you feel you conceal the most?

how important is your appearance to you, versus your intelligence

?how important is your appearance to you, versus your intelligence

or your hobbies? give fi ve words you feel describes your personality

?or your hobbies? give fi ve words you feel describes your personality or your hobbies? give fi ve words you feel describes your personality

?or your hobbies? give fi ve words you feel describes your personality

as you interact face-to-face. how do you feel people confi de in

?as you interact face-to-face. how do you feel people confi de in as you interact face-to-face. how do you feel people confi de in

?as you interact face-to-face. how do you feel people confi de in

you or see you as trustworthy/sympathetic? what opinion do you

?you or see you as trustworthy/sympathetic? what opinion do you you or see you as trustworthy/sympathetic? what opinion do you

?you or see you as trustworthy/sympathetic? what opinion do you

want people to have of you when they fi rst meet you? what are ?want people to have of you when they fi rst meet you? what are want people to have of you when they fi rst meet you? what are ?want people to have of you when they fi rst meet you? what are

three good things about you regarding relationships with others? ?three good things about you regarding relationships with others? three good things about you regarding relationships with others? ?three good things about you regarding relationships with others?

what are three bad things about you regarding relationships with ?what are three bad things about you regarding relationships with what are three bad things about you regarding relationships with ?what are three bad things about you regarding relationships with

others? where do you see yourself in fi ve years? - hopefully and ?others? where do you see yourself in fi ve years? - hopefully and others? where do you see yourself in fi ve years? - hopefully and ?others? where do you see yourself in fi ve years? - hopefully and

realistically? how much do your hobbies and friends come before ?realistically? how much do your hobbies and friends come before realistically? how much do your hobbies and friends come before ?realistically? how much do your hobbies and friends come before

a relationship? what are some faults they might fi nd after getting ?a relationship? what are some faults they might fi nd after getting a relationship? what are some faults they might fi nd after getting ?a relationship? what are some faults they might fi nd after getting

to know you? how much do you feel like an adult vs. a child and ?to know you? how much do you feel like an adult vs. a child and to know you? how much do you feel like an adult vs. a child and ?to know you? how much do you feel like an adult vs. a child and

still learning? how willing are you to put people’s needs in front ?still learning? how willing are you to put people’s needs in front still learning? how willing are you to put people’s needs in front ?still learning? how willing are you to put people’s needs in front

of your own? give fi ve words you feel describe the way you see ?of your own? give fi ve words you feel describe the way you see of your own? give fi ve words you feel describe the way you see ?of your own? give fi ve words you feel describe the way you see

yourself. what are some of the largest obstacles you’ve overcome? ?yourself. what are some of the largest obstacles you’ve overcome? yourself. what are some of the largest obstacles you’ve overcome? ?yourself. what are some of the largest obstacles you’ve overcome?

what is your role at a party where you know everyone? how ?what is your role at a party where you know everyone? how

important is being fi nancially successful to you? what is your role ?important is being fi nancially successful to you? what is your role

at a party where you know no one? do you feel you know your ?at a party where you know no one? do you feel you know your

identity very well? how important is human interaction for you? ?identity very well? how important is human interaction for you?

what types of people irritate you the most? how important is ?what types of people irritate you the most? how important is

music to you and why? how important is it for you to be liked? ?music to you and why? how important is it for you to be liked?

how do you typically meet people? do you consider yourself ?how do you typically meet people? do you consider yourself

cultured? when do you feel most attractive? do you see yourself ?cultured? when do you feel most attractive? do you see yourself

as attractive? what do you lie about the most? how important is ?as attractive? what do you lie about the most? how important is

family to you? do you consider yourself smart? what are your guilty ?family to you? do you consider yourself smart? what are your guilty

pleasures? what are some of your fears? do you get irritated easily??pleasures? what are some of your fears? do you get irritated easily?

It’s close to impossible to answer how you would defi ne your

identity. When asked, we instead choose to use facts - our

heritage, our appearance, our hobbies, our relationships, etc.

The actual answer is too fl uid and abstract to put into words,

and is unwelcome in many ways because we exist in a realm

of feelings. You might consider the people you surround

yourself with best refl ect your identity. You might consider

your experiences growing up best refl ect your identity. You

might consider your relationship with your family describes

you, or the approach you take to meeting new people.

Everyone shifts himself or herself and their actions based on

situational circumstances, and because of this it becomes

impossible to confi dently communicate to others and, more

importantly, to yourself how you defi ne yourself.

How can one confi dently list their fi ve best qualities? Or

worst qualities? How can one confi dently consider how they

appear through the eyes of an observer? These questions that

are impossible to answer, and especially when meticulously

considered, can make any person feel marginalized. The role and structure of social media makes this question

much easier to answer. The tactile records of your photographs,

favorite quotes, correspondence, likes and dislikes, statuses,

refl ections on events, education history, relationship status,

etc, create defi nitive boundaries within which we package

and transmit our brand. We’ve been handed, what can be

considered, a valid record of our actions and personality

aspects as we appear to the rest of the world.

YOUR SECOND BRAND HAS VISUALUNSURE? DEFINING YOUR BRAND IS DIFFICULT.

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23

MAGGIE, 23SINGLEPUBLISHER SERVICES MANAGERB.A. IN MUSIC BUSINESSDENVER, CO

53 47DURINGTHE DAY

PERCENTOF THE T IME

POSTS

DURINGTHE NIGHT

PERCENTOF THE T IME

ABOUT ME TOPIC RAT IOS

POST RAT IOS

L IKED I T

FOUND IT

SHARED I T

AVERAGE MOOD/TONE

SAD HAPPY

OTHERSHOPPING

FOOD

SPORTS

TECH

TRAVEL

“date night with desiree.. sushi

& sunsets”

“iced tea and a sandwich for breakfast.. itʼs like a summer

afternoon at my house”

“i still plan on wearing my tebow shirt all football season”

“imperfectionis beauty,madness is

genius”

“canʼt tellthe difference between hipster and homeless anymore”

“Dear Sir/Madam, the fact that your car has blue balls hanging from the trailer hitch does not make me respect you”

MOST POPUL AR UPDATE

“The wor ld at once present and absent which the spectacle

makes visible

what it is is the wor ld of the commodity dominat ing al l that is l ived. The wor ld of the commodity is thus shown for

because i ts movement is ident ical to the estrangement of men among themselves and in relat ion to their global product”

- Guy Debord The Society of the Spectacle

As has been the case for centuries, members of society have fi lled the role of spectacle to the general audience of peers.

However, as it refers to our development into a commodity, social networking pushes the boundaries of product quality into

product quantity. We have online versions of ourselves that are manufactured, produced and transmitted to the public, and

as we submit ourselves into circulation the commodities and surpluses of social media continue to grow. Engaging in these

digital communities we’ve developed a generally overlooked skill of pattern recognition; skimming the Facebook News Feed

we focus attention on familiar imagery and icons to gauge each commodity’s personal worth and connection to us. Just as

we are both subject and object, we are also consumers and commodities.,

The development of the millions of online human commodities transforms social media into so much more than a ‘service’,

as most would refer to it as. It has a structured means through which we can mold our brand, and an enormous built-in

audience that each user can tailor themselves towards. These interactions, which have now become second nature, lessens

awareness of humans as commodities rather than friends, followers, or connections. The habitual brand creation we subject

ourselves to another defi nition to add to the long list of social media purposes, but in a personal sense a lot can be brought

to light if users form a stronger awareness towards these tendencies they’ve developed.




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n u y m . f g 4 e q 7 8 g b e

USER ASWe have all become observed.

We have all gained an audience.

We have all become reflected.

WE HAVE REPLACED THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER WITHTHE EYE OF THE PUBLIC.

As the mediums of refl ection continue to evolve, so does has the intimacy of the moment to now include a greater

audience than just ourselves. We no longer gaze upon ourselves with our eyes, but instead through the eyes of our

audience. How do we use these mediums to better refl ect on how we are perceived? What does social media as a

medium for refl ection mean for our self esteem as we observe and contemplate?

SPECTACLE

35

WE OBSERVE OURSELVES

IS AN INTIMATE MOMENT DURING WHICH WE LOOK THROUGH THE EYES OF AN AUDIENCE.

The act of observing oneself or refl ecting on oneself

introduces a paradoxal question: how we view our role as an

individual and how we view our role in society. The intimacy

of this questioning, and its resulting drop in self esteem, is

consistent with the vast majority of humans. We utilize

refl ection tools to contemplate our identity as we believe we

are seen through the perspective of an outside observer.

THE MEDIUM OF OBSERVATION HAS SHIFTED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER TIME

The key signifi cance of its shift over the course of history fi nds merit

in the intimacy of the moment. The privacy of the environment

within which the user becomes pensive has evolved to include a

greater audience, therefore shifting perception of identity.

T I M E

WA

TE

R

The medium that initiated refl ection and self-awaress: water. As

Greek legend has it, the origin of the word narcissism comes from

Narcissus, the son of the river god Cephissus, who fell in love with

his own refl ection after he was instructed by his nemisis to look into

a pool of water. Narcissus subsequently wasted away and died, as

he was unable to pry himself away from the refl ection of his beauty5.

The invention of the mirror revolutionized our consciousness, and

created a greater awareness of humans as objects. Its uneditable

nature has been proven to lower self esteem, especially in the

minds of women. The ability to watch and judge an exact replica, or

essentially what can be considered a state of simulacrum, opened

up the human mind to the idea of having an audience which

now spread to include ourselves. Engaging with a mirror triggers

three states; body awareness - a physical observation - and the

mental consideration of private self-consciousness and public self-

consciousness.

MIR

RO

R

43

Photographs are the extension of the singular moment of private

refl ecting, and also make the moment reproducible. With the

inclusion of video, the aspect of time becomes a factor which raises

self-conscioussness. Photography produced the most eff ective craft

that refl ects and represents people as they appear to the masses,

especially since the image of self is able to be entered into public

circulation. A picture is worth a thousand words, and for this reason

the visual psychological cues and interpretations of information we

receive with this medium can alter a sense of identity when we have

become the subject matter.

PH

OT

OG

RA

PH

The revolutionary concept of social media and the online brand

have become second nature activities to the common user. In

regards to a widely unknown additional use for social media, the act

of identity refl ection has been reformed through this new medium.

The contemporary user has been handed an environment within

which they can not only represent themselves, but can shape their

character and brand to transmit a more idealized version of self.

SO

CIA

L M

ED

IA

Using social media as a medium for refl ection is widely successful in regards to self esteem because of its multiple dimensions,

which includes appearance, history, communication, thoughts, hobbies, etc. Following the ability to shape the engaging and

interactive replication of our brand, a heightened level of self esteem is a uniform result for the majority of social networkers.

It also houses archives of what can be considered the user’s inner development, such as personality traits, as well as the

user’s outer development, which includes physical appearance and relationships. Its structure makes it the most tactile form

of refl ection to date. For the fi rst time, the user has the ability to act as an author-of-self and revolutionize the concept of

identity. Following Marshall McLuhan’s theories that a change in medium results in a change of sensory experience, social

networking can be considered more than just a tool for communication but also a medium. It has become the new mirror; it

is a window into observing how we shape our idealized self and why.

47

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WE HAVE ALL BECOME

SOURCES MacLuhan, H. M., & Fiore, Q. (1971). The Medium is the Massage: Inventory of Effects. Harmonsworth: Penguin Books.

Debord, G. (1977). The Commodity as the Spectacle, 37. In Society of the Spectacle. Detroit: Black and Red.

1 Fontaine, S. D. (2011, December 11). Top 11 Fake Deaths On Twitter. NewsOne. Retrieved from http://newsone. com/2000722/top-11-fake-deaths-on-twitter/

2 Ball, J., & Lewis, P. (2011, December 07). Twitter and the riots: How the news spread. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011dec/07/twitter-riots-how-news-spread

3 Sutter, J. D. (2011, May 02). How bin Laden news spread on Twitter. CNN. Retrieved from http://articles.cnn. com/2011-05-02/tech/osama.bin.laden.twitter_1bin-tweet-twitter-user?s=PM:TECH

4 Strauss, N. (2011, July 2). The Insidious Evils of ‘Like’ Culture. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online. wsj.com/article/SB1000142405270230454004576415940086842866.html

5 Keys, D. (2004, May). The Ugly End of Narcissus. BBC History Magazine, 5, 9. Retrieved from http://www.papyrology. ox.ac.uk/POxy/news/narcissus.html




n u y m . f g 4 e q 7 8 g b e





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n u y m . f g 4 e q 7 8 g b e

Bryan Leister

Brian Delevie

Michelle Carpenter

Michael Mages

Michael Salamon

Jason Bowers

and Travis Vermiyle

SPECIAL THANKS TO

REFLECT:RETOUCH:REDEFINE

Documents

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