While I have never really been involved in role playing games, I have always been fascinated by the concept. Turkle writes that role playing games are so much more than just “playing a game”; they allow people to walk a fine line between reality and the un-real (p. 188). She mentions several stories about how people were able to deal with their real-life emotions and problems through their characters online. One girl had a lot of problems with her mother, and through playing as a mother online she was able to work through her concerns (p. 187). A college student would go online before a big test and get into virtual fights with people, allowing him to release his anger and anxiety without actually doing something in real life.
Baym seems to mostly agree with Turkle, and writes that “Digital media seem to separate selves from bodies, leading to disembodied identities that exist only in actions and words” (p. 105). She also writes that knowing a person in real life is key to knowing who they really are (p. 107).
In examining how people use social media and technology, I have to agree with both of these authors. Creating an online profile or world allows you to cultivate an alternative reality based upon whatever you want yourself to be. Even on Facebook, where most friends actually know you in real life, you can choose what statuses and pictures to post, causing people to see you in a certain light. Having people follow your blog is a huge opportunity for influence, since many people have no idea who the author really is (beyond the screen). While Turkle is writing about role playing games, the blog I am following is focused on the life of a pastor’s wife. People visit her page not to pick fights or get virtually married, but to gain wisdom and insight into dealing with some really difficult situations. Within that context, the author has to be really careful about presenting herself in a mature and respectable light. There’s nothing wrong with posting a meme or even venting about something that happened, but this author cannot use her platform as simply a personal profile. She needs to be seen as serious, trustworthy, and as a resource to visit frequently.
Would you agree that most successful blogs are niche blogs, or blogs with a purpose? For instance, I’m assuming the pastor’s wife sticks to certain topics or themes that relate to her faith. In my personal time, I follow a lot of sports blogs, like Deadspin and The Big Lead. I think the unsuccessful blogs are those that have no real defined topic. For instance, if someone has a blog in which they ramble about a bunch of mundane things in their personal life, it’s probably not going to be of interest to anyone unless it has a specific angle e.g. humor.
I like that you have chosen to follow a blog in which the writer has to carefully select which aspects of her real self to portray because of the subject matter of the blog and her husband’s chosen profession. I also follow a blog of a preacher’s wife and she’s recently been targeted for criticism because she posted the “hair tutorial gone wrong” YouTube video and many readers thought she shouldn’t be making fun of someone else with her given position. It was interesting to watch that play out. In these cases, the writer has to sanitize their real self for their online persona.
I absolutely think that niche blogs are the most successful. I am in the process of starting my own, and all of the “top 10 ways to have a successful blog” posts say that a niche is imperative. :)
I think you make a great point about the way the blogger has to carefully select what she presents about herself. In her real life, she probably plays many roles, of which “Pastor’s Wife” is just one. But I think Meagan’s example is interesting, because sometimes these roles come with certain expectations, and if your blogger violates people’s expectations of what a Pastor’s Wife should “be,” she could face criticism. Do you think that, as far as her blog persona goes, your blogger is allowed to have a bad day? Can she vent her frustrations without harming the identity she has cultivated?
Clarissa, I definitely agree with you on the concept of role-playing games grabbing attention. I can also relate to how going online or participating in virtual fights with other people can help to ease worry or stress. You can bash someone’s skull in while playing a virtual world without having to worry about actually harming other people, at least physically. I have some experience in this in that it has helped me to lower stress before a test or before my mom’s cancer-removal surgery. Once the stress is relieved, things usually seem to go a little better from then on. Therefore, I am not as “down” on some of the action-packed games as some people are.