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Textual Constructions of Children's Online Identities
Abstract
This article examines the ways in that children's identities are constructed in one form of online community. The online community I have selected is that of 'The Palace,' a graphical chat world in that users represent themselves as an image, or avatar, and interact with others within visually defined worlds. In particular, this article focusses on a small group of children who have been the subject of a pilot study undertaken for my doctorate, and who have been interacting on a palace especially constructed by me for this purpose. The article aims to identify those discursive practices that are operating in this particular context to produce the 'discursive child.' It examines those narratives and fictions that operate as truth in this context with the aim of making them explicit, conscious, and understood. I will give my reading of the way in that children are constructed as they participate in the palace. Based on Foucault's (Discipline and Punish, 1977, Harmondsworth: Penguin) notion that discursive practices operate in the realms of power, knowledge, discipline, and regulation, I will tease out what this might mean for these children.
... The personal one defines who we are in online settings and the social virtual identity reflects how an individual is engaged in online communities and his/her position within those communities. In the same line, Thomas (2000) believes virtual identities are shaped by a sense of belonging to and participation within a virtual community. Both personal and social virtual identities require attention in investigating PhD students' identity construction since they have a perception of themselves in relation to who they are and how they are positioned within the academic communities. ...
Despite the substantial growth of research on identity construction in real-life contexts, little is known about PhD students’ online identities, especially their identity shift from real-life to virtual contexts. The present study aimed to address this gap by examining the identity development of ten PhD students from the field of Applied Linguistics during the Covid-19 pandemic, by adopting narrative inquiry. Data analysis revealed that PhD students’ identity was marked by four major components including professional development, sense of self-development, social interactions in community of practice, and their perceptions. The study concludes with implications for both PhD students, administrators and instructors by raising their awareness of the importance of facilitating the change from face-to-face to online contexts.
... Wouter M. Steijn (2014), traktują przestrzeń wirtualną jako inną płaszczyznę, na kanwie której dzieje się ta sama dynamika relacji oraz powstaje potrzeba wypełniania zadań rozwojowych takich jak budowanie tożsamości. Jedne z pierwszych przejawów możliwości kształtowania tożsamości, we wspomnianej płaszczyźnie, wykazała Angela Thomas (2000), która zbadała interakcje pomiędzy dziećmi i adolescentami w specjalnych chatach internetowych. Jak zaobserwowała, użytkownicy mogli dowolnie dostosowywać swoje zachowanie (np. ...
Celem artykułu jest zaprezentowanie wyników badania jakościowego dotyczącego narracji związanych z przyjmowaniem tożsamości na bazie internetowego memu doomera. Ramę teore-tyczną dla przedstawionego badania stanowią postulaty psychologii narracyjnej, głównie koncepcja tożsamości narracyjnej Dana P. McAdamsa. W myśl tej koncepcji tożsamość człowieka kształtowana jest poprzez narracje, które dotyczą jego życia, zatem aby odkryć, jaki człowiek jest, należy poznać historie, które snuje na swój temat. W zaprezentowanym badaniu udział wzięły 82 osoby w wieku od 14 do 31 lat (M = 19; SD = 3,71). Najwięcej badanych pochodziło z Polski (26,58%) i Stanów Zjednoczonych (24%). Do badania wykorzystano kwestionariusz zbudowany z pytań otwartych, dzięki czemu uzyskane dane mają charakter narracji. Analiza uzyskanego materiału odbyła się w oparciu o zasady metody hermeneutycznej zaproponowanej przez Magdalenę Żurko oraz metody analizy hermeneutycznej Ewy Kruchowskiej. Z przytoczonych danych wynika, że osoba utożsamiająca się z doomerem to osoba o pesymistycznym poglądzie na współczesny świat, ludzi i życie. W historii badanych pojawiały się momenty krytyczne, które zaważyły na przyjęciu tej tożsamości, np. utrata bliskich lub niepowodzenia życiowe.
... With different social media platforms available in the cyber domain, in the 21 st century, the number of the users has also increased rapidly from 12% in 2005 to 90% in 2015 according to a research study conducted by the Pew Research Centre (2015). The research study on 'Fragmented Selves: Temporarity and Borderline Personality Disorder' by Thomas (2000), found that the people who have fragmented identities are suffering from personality disorders, since they constantly change their identities when interacting with different people. Goffman (1959) states that the people who have different identities mask themselves because they interact with different people on different media platforms, so they must meet the standards and requirements of being in those groups, hence they have different identities. ...
... A further observation that can be made in relation to CMD multimodality in gamer fora is the use of media such as screenshots, animations and streaming video to illustrate individual posts and mediate gamer identities, particularly with respect to gaming achievements. This seems to tie in to some extent with Thomas's (2000; findings about the use of online chat environments by adolescent girls. To establish their identities online, 'cybergirls' use a mixture of linguistic and pictographic devices (such as emoticons and avatars). ...
This innovative text examines videogames and gaming from the point of view of discourse analysis. In particular, it studies two major aspects of videogame-related communication: the ways in which videogames and their makers convey meanings to their audiences, and the ways in which gamers, industry professionals, journalists and other stakeholders talk about games. In doing so, the book offers systematic analyses of games as artefacts and activities, and the discourses surrounding them.
Focal areas explored in this book include:
• aspects of videogame textuality and how games relate to other texts
• the formation of lexical terms and use of metaphor in the language of gaming
• gamer slang and 'buddylects'
• the construction of game worlds and their rules, of gamer identities and communities
• dominant discourse patterns among gamers and how they relate to the nature of gaming
• the multimodal language of games and gaming
• the ways in which ideologies of race, gender, media effects and language are constructed.
Informed by the very latest scholarship and illustrated with topical examples throughout, The Language of Gaming is ideal for students of applied linguistics, videogame studies and media studies who are seeking a wide-ranging introduction to the field.
... Sometimes palaces are used as sites for composing 'fan fiction' where participants write alternative episodes for their favourite television shows or sequels for their favourite movies, adopt character roles and organize with other palace participants virtual performances of their creations, but palaces are also sites for such creative adjunct-composition of the fictional worlds of literary texts. A great deal of work in explicating the educational significance of palaces for young people has been done by Dr. Angela Thomas at the University of Sydney and this account draws significantly on her material (Thomas, 2000(Thomas, , 2001(Thomas, , 2004a(Thomas, , 2004b. ...
As ICT continues to grow as a key resource in the classroom, this book helps students and teachers to get the best out of e-literature, with practical ideas for work schemes for children at all levels. Len Unsworth draws together functional analyses of language and images and applies them to real-life classroom learning environments, developing pupils' understanding of 'text'. The main themes include: What kinds of literary narratives can be accessed electronically? How can language, pictures, sound and hypertext be analysed to highlight the story? How can digital technology enhance literary experiences through web-based 'book talk' and interaction with publishers' websites? How do computer games influence the reader/ player role in relation to how we understand stories?
... Online tools such as graphic figures (avatars) and nicknames also play a role in the construction of virtual identities or online personas, which are distinct from the online self-presentation that we described earlier. According to Thomas, virtual identities are also constructed through the feeling of belonging to a virtual group, communicating with the help of slang, and acquiring technical knowledge (Thomas, 2000). Skills, such as the ability to use certain software, control a chat room, or search for new software, are becoming an integral part of self-evaluation; these digital skills are valued peers and "belong" to the adolescent's virtual identity. ...
From the early days of the Internet, scholars and writers have speculated that digital worlds are venues where users can leave
their bodies behind and create new and different selves online. These speculations take on added significance in the context
of adolescence, when individuals have to construct a coherent identity of the self. This chapter examines the role of technology
in identity construction – a key adolescent developmental task. We begin by examining theoretical conceptions about identity
in the context of adolescence and then explore the meaning of the terms self-presentation and virtual identity. To show how
adolescents’ use technology in the service of identity, we will first describe some of the online tools they can use for self-presentation
and identity construction. Then we show how adolescents use these tools to explore identity on the Internet, particularly
through blogs and social networking sites; in a separate section, we show how youth use the Internet to construct their ethnic
identity. Last, we turn to whether adolescents’ engage in identity experiments and online pretending and whether they have
virtual personas in a psychological sense. In the conclusion section, we identify questions about online self-presentation,
virtual identity, offline identity development for future research to address.
... celebrating Tolkien's world, and Harry Potter Palaces, such as Hogwarts (Maykitten, 2004), Harry Potters (Aurora, 2004) and Bloody Brilliant (Layke, 2004). (For further information on Story Palaces, see Thomas, 2000, and Unsworth et al., 2005. ...
The impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is changing the nature of literary narratives for children and the contexts in which they experience and respond to such narratives outside of school contexts. However, in the main, teachers do not feel confident or comfortable in the world of digital multimedia. Children's literature can bridge this intergenerational digital divide in the English classroom. This paper introduces frameworks that may assist teachers in negotiating curricular and pedagogic approaches with children using digital resources for developing literary understanding and literacy learning.
Yeni medya sistemi, geleneksel tek yönlü iletişim modeli yerine etkileşimli iletişim politikalarını benimseyen ve medyalar arasılık özellikler gösteren bir yapıyı temsil etmektedir. Postmodern medya araçları olarak kabul edilen sosyal paylaşım uygulamaları, kullanıcı eksenli bir dağıtım modeli üzerinden farklı tema ve anlatı yapılarına sahip içeriklerin dolaşımını sağlamaktadır. Bilgi ve iletişim teknolojilerinin küresel düzeyde yaygınlaşması, sanal sistemlerin etkin kullanılmasını sağlayarak sosyal yapıyı da biçimlendirmektedir. Dijital dünyada sanal sosyallik gereksinimlerini karşılamak isteyen ağ kullanıcıları, sanal kimlikleri üzerinden medya içerikleriyle etkileşimde bulunmaktadır. Ağ toplumunun temel göstergelerinden olan internet tabanlı çoklu anlamlandırma süreçleri, toplumsal değişim konusunda bireyleri daha etkin hale getirmektedir. Yeni medya araçlarını deneyimleyen dijital özneler, ağ kimliklerini şekillendirirken kullanım amaçları ve sıklıkları açısından farklı düzeyde eğilimler göstermektedir. Bu çalışma, pandemi sürecinde üniversite öğrencilerinin sanal kimliklerini inşa süreçlerinde yeni medya araçlarını ne düzeyde ve hangi gereksinimlerle kullandıklarını araştırmaktadır. Araştırma kapsamında Ege Üniversitesi’nde öğrenim gören son sınıf lisans öğrencileri arasından seçilen 384 öğrenci üzerine uygulanan anket çalışmasıyla yeni medya kullanım pratikleri incelenmektedir. Anket verilerinin çözümlenmesinde SPSS programı kullanılmaktadır. Araştırmaya %52,3 oranında kadın, %47,7 oranında erkek öğrencileri katılım göstermiştir. Üniversite öğrencilerinin yeni medya uygulamalarından Whatsapp %97,1; Arama motorları %86,5; Youtube %82,6 ve Instagram %74,5 oranında kullanım bağımlılıkları tespit edilmiştir. Üniversite öğrencilerinin sanal ve gerçek kimliklerini birbiriyle ilişkilendirdikleri görülürken, gerçek ve sahte kimlik kullanımının platformun kurallarına göre değişkenlik gösterdiği saptanmıştır. Öğrencilerin %88,3 oranında yeni medya araçlarını her gün deneyimledikleri, eğitim gruplarına göre kullanım amaç ve sıklıkları konusunda anlamlı bir ilişkili olduğu da görülmüştür.
Streszczenie: Celem artykułu było zaprezentowanie wybranych wniosków i zarysu badań dotyczących relacji między mediami społecznościowymi a adolescentami i młodymi dorosłymi. W pracy skupiono się na trzech aspektach z zakresu zainteresowań między innymi cyberpsychologii, takich jak kwestia różnic płciowych i wieku w sposobie korzystania z mediów społecznościowych, ich wpływ na kształtowanie się tożsamości oraz relacje między użytkownikiem, mediami społecznościowymi a samooceną. Przytoczone badania pokazują dynamikę zmian w sposobie korzystania z mediów społecznościowych w perspektywie płci, gdzie w początkach kształtowania się internetu to chłopcy korzysta-li z niego więcej w celu komunikowania się z innymi, a współcześnie relacja ta wygląda inaczej. Badania dotyczące tożsamości skupiają się na możliwości badania jej kształtowania i uwzględnienia pewnych specyficznych jej aspektów. Wnioski z badań poświęconych samoocenie są niekonkluzywne i w głównej mierze korelacyjne, przez to konieczne jest dalsze prowadzenie badań w tym obszarze.
Turkle (1995, p. 13) has argued that "identity on the computer is the sum of your distributed presence." The purpose of this chapter is to consider emerging forms of identity construction and performance within online spaces, and to extend ideas for theorising about and conceptualising identity within social psychology. The chapter also aims to highlight the relevance of textual analysis in contributing to an understanding of these emerging identities. There is clear evidence of the capacity to construct identity online through the immediacy of textual communication, self-reflection and defined spaces for public and private self-presentation. Combined with immersive virtual worlds and intertextuality, identity construction and performance can vary from identity tourism and identity expansion to hybridised identities. Furthermore, one's identity performance remains intact when one is physically absent (such as via a Facebook page or Linked-In profile), and can be continuously modified at one's discretion. Goffman (1959) has demonstrated that presenting oneself effectively relies on the ability to cater to specific audiences as well as maintaining their separation. Having control over information selection online affords a greater capacity to negotiate and manoeuvre one's identity construction and performance. Research has also shown how one's embodied experience is not only communicated through text but simultaneously constructs that experience, constituting an authentic experience. The division between what is real and what is virtual becomes irrelevant. Removing the correspondence between representation and reality within computer-mediated environments (Poster, 1997) and within the construction of digital information contests traditional meaning-making. Data analysis that involves the interpretation of text is ideally suited to understanding identity construction and performance online. Any interpretation of an event is not only mediated by language, but is also constituted by language. With the constantly changing social landscapes online, discursive analyses recognize that meaning is also constantly moving and transforming. Secondly, the subjectivity of self-reflection made possible through public and private online spaces is consistent with the subjective interpretation of language held by a discursive approach.
As consumers, women are traditionally ignored by computer and video game developers and publishers. However, in recent years they have grown to represent the holy grail of mass media acceptance, and executives are eager to understand their gaming preferences, styles and habits. Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMOGs) offer students of video and computer games the opportunity to explore a genre attractive to this population and to deconstruct the aspects of online virtual worlds which encourages them to play. Within this analysis, the contemporary female gamer is placed in historical context and traditional barriers to female game play are considered, including temporal, economic and social constraints. Subsequent consideration of the unique properties of online gaming includes the formation of salient social networks, the cohesiveness of online groups, the absence of traditional barriers to ascension in game-world hierarchy and personal empowerment through safe identity play. Current demographics are assessed and methodological options are noted.
"Why would anyone give away such valuable advice? What can explain the amount of cooperation that does occur in online communities? In this chapter I wish to analyze how the economies of cooperation change as one moves to the Internet. I argue that there are fundamental features of online interaction which change the costs and benefits of social action in dramatic ways. "Because the metaphor of gift giving has been used to describe online interaction and exchange, I will begin with a brief discussion of the concept of the gift. I then discuss social dilemmas - situations in which individually reasonable behavior leads to collective disaster - and in particular examine the challenge of providing public goods (to be defined below). Subsequent sections detail the shift in the economics of cooperation, discuss the motivations that drive contributions and collaboration, and provide two striking examples of online collective action. I close with a strong caution against assuming that the shifting economics of online interaction guarantee high levels of cooperation."
Pedagogy, sym bolic control and iden-tity
- B Bernstein
Bernstein, B. (1996). Pedagogy, sym bolic control and iden-tity. London: Taylor and Francis.