Cyber-Self  

“The social networking site [is] an engagement that requires submission of the human subject to the software imperatives: [it] constructs lives and narratives.” (McNeill, 2012. p 67)

This is something not usually acknowledged or understood by users of the World Wide Web, however, it should be taken into consideration. Online networks hold the power to dictate how we (their users) represent ourselves, interact with one another, and the information accessible to us. Consequently, the similarity between our “real” and “virtual” identities becomes questionable.

Victoria Kuttainen (2016) highlights the fact that, in a cyberspace run by social media, “[we] are not the only person constructing [our] identity.”

It is easy for ones "real" self to get lost in cyberspace.

Throughout the photo-sharing application that is Instagram, there are many diverse identities. In order to construct these online identities, Instagramers post pictures whilst “liking” or commenting on others. However, this cyber-self is not always authentic. Nevertheless, in recent months the social media platform has produced an algorithm-driven feed. This means posts no longer appear in chronological order, but instead are ordered to show what Instagram (2016) has referred to as “moments… [its users] will care about most.” By prioritising previous interactions, these algorithms determine whose posts users see (and don’t see), in turn, “influenc[ing] the networked self.” (McNeill, 2012. p 76)

Author Eli Pariser (2011) refers to this personalisation as “the filter bubble” in which we get “trapped”. He warns of its negative side effects, arguing that we become isolated from diverse points of view and “don’t get exposed to information that could…broaden our worldview.”

Agreeing with Pariser, I see Instagram’s latest ‘update’ as a negative installation to the app. Instead of scrolling through a diverse and interesting social network, I am faced with a never-ending feed of likeness. However, it is thought-provoking to consider our virtual selves, and how the power of online programs influences this.

It is as McNeill (McNeill, 2012. p 79) says, “where, indeed, do we end and [social media] begins?”

Image: Barnett, S. (N/A) Be the same online vs real life. Retrieved from http://www.business2community.com/non-profit-marketing/be-the-same-online-vs-real-life-01378992#7Rps4ZqqaoLesr12.97

Instagram. (2016) See the moments you care about first. Retrieved from http://blog.instagram.com/post/141107034797/160315-news

Kuttainen, V. (2016). BA1002: Our space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, lecture 6: Networked narratives. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au

McNeill, L. (2012). There is no "I" in network: Social networking sites and posthuman auto/biography. Project muse, 35 (1), 65-82. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/webapps/Conc-camcontent-bb_bb60/items/getitem.jsp?as_course_code=13-BA1002-TSV-INT-SP2&content_id=_1242562_1&course_id=_42849_1&doc_id=42357

Pariser, E. (2011) Beware online “filter bubbles”. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles?language=en#t-527944