Cyber Culture

For my final post I would like to look at narcissism. I posted a few weeks ago on how social media networking tools like Twitter and biographical websites encourage certain levels of narcissistic behaviour. In culture beyond the realms of the web it is rare to see people walking down the streets in their bikinis or saying deeply profound quotes in front of a large group of people .

Mourning is a crucial part of 'moving on' and is used to "describe a cultural complex of behaviours in which the bereaved participate or are expected to participate" (Wikipedia, 2010).

This week I would like to look at the whole mourning process that takes place on line, as a part of cyber culture, via social networking platforms such as MySpace but more commonly Facebook.

Inspired by our recent New Media theory studies on the "cultural imperialism thesis" I decided to break down the effects of new media on aspects of identity creation this week.

In studies researching the effects of social media on web-users' identities, several showed positive effects. These imply that social interaction through social media on the web encourages identity growth, better 'real life' socialisation and better communication with friends and family.
By looking at sub-groups identified by Marshall and Burnett in Webs of Identity, one can see how social media is contributing to the evolution of identity construction and therefore life beyond the 'web bubble' and the impact on 'real world' culture.

If you thought that you wouldn't be able host a party or launch an event due to limited promotion funds or resources then you are mistaken.

Let me propose a hypothesis. The date is some 1990 year, pre-technology advancement and you have a disability. For whatever reason you have been restricted to your home because of your disability. With only basic aids to help you live your life, you may feel restricted and bound by it.

After recently watching the 2009 film Surrogates , I realised how pervasive the idea of avatars are becoming in pop culture.