Web practices; personal webification

Reflection on Module 1

from the 21st of August

 

The web allows users to engage other users through a plethora of channels of communication, creating a consortium of concepts, data and information that are shared through group, interpersonal, mass and organizational communication. The users are represented by their chosen depictions of themselves whether it is through audio, image, textual, visual or multimedia they are all creating their identity for different purposes, resulting in their personal webification. This essay will reflect on the process of personal webification, analysing how interaction with individuals’ sites produce the meaning and structure of the web and how the structure of these interactions parallel previous forms of communication.

Personal webification is the process of creating an online identity, that can be accessed by another user through an individual site or a variety of sites, hyper textually linked, united to create an online persona or identity. The personal webification process involves transcending the boundaries of time and place, and creating a virtual self re-represented through different media formats. As previously mentioned these sights can be created for individuals, groups or organizations; identities, each identity crafted to portray different messages for intended receivers (users) through a combination of media formats. Rachels’ (1997;71-73) suggests that the creation of different identities have been recurring for as long as individuals have had differing social relationships. The different persona portrayed between two family members (i.e. father and son) and two friends, resemble created identities that cater for that specific social relationship. The communication between these two different relationships is self-regulated by the personal disclosure of information and thoughts by the individuals involved.

Personal webification involves the same systematic process of regulation as mentioned by Rachels, categorising relationships by the disclosure of appropriate and relevant information for that identities relationship.  The cognitive production of signs through multi media representation on particular sites allows for the nodes (individuals or organizations) to create the relevant information and exclude irrelevant content for that particular intended prod/user (Rachels, 1997;74).

The regulation of different identities became apparent in the production of my social networking page (Facebook), this page was catered to a specific identity, a business identity. The business identity on Facebook was vastly different from the friend identity that existed on Facebook. The choice of what images, information and videos to disclose was the first decision. The business identity outside the virtual world would not disclose content that was uncharacteristic of that same identity, hence these same exclusions were performed on the Facebook page. It is evident by the process of decisions on disclosure that the web does not change the relationship between identities. The web changes the structure of the relationship by becoming a channel for mediation transposing the content disclosed by those involved in the relationship. As Burnett et al (2003; 104) suggests the applications create aesthetics that are familiar. Hence the web reciprocates previous forms of communicative styles (the photo album application in Facebook, this represents sharing photos with an individual pre the digital era) to accommodate the prod/user rather than the prod/user adopting a new communicative style to suit the web.

“The web has a liberating effect of making more freedom available to generate interpretations that suit the participant” Beer (2007; 517). The liberating effect is due to the interactive nature of the prod/user. Burnett et al (2003) suggests the ability of the prod/user to transform content creates this notion of interactivity, and allows for the prod/user to become the navigator of their destination and find their desired communicative outlet. Burnett et al (2007;94) refers to many business websites as lacking the notion of interactivity and only providing a static dated version of content. Thus as many business sites have failed to encapsulate the interactive concept that is fundamental to harnessing web communication, interactivity became a goal for my business identity. The webs interactive characteristics allowed my business identity to surpass a monologue style of representation and incorporate a mixed form of communication, as seen in the links to the business identities Facebook page allowing the user to browse different aspects of the identity. As Beer suggests this navigation itself empowers the user, hence the inclusion of this in the creation of my business identity.

The web as a communicative device parallels previous forms of communication, as Rachels suggests social relationships are maintained and their regulated in the same way through the self disclosure of information as seen in social networking sites. The virtual world transcends the boundaries of time and place and enables the facilitation of social relationships globally. The web empowers users through a mediation of individual’s communication allowing for their interaction in creating content and designing their own path of consumption. This allows for the structure of the web to be understood as exponentially growing and forever malleable. The web also allows for past forms of communication and interaction to be reformulated and applied to the virtual world such as the design aspect that incorporates the ability to design homepages, simulating the design of a bedroom or another personal space outside the virtual world. The reformulation of the non-virtual within the virtual is a critical aspect in understanding the structure of the web, this recreation allows the user to be comfortable with the familiar (Burnett et al, 2003, 104) and also explains the recreation by prod users of content from mass media through the web i.e mock television shows or movies on Youtube. 

 

My personal webification has been guided by the non-virtual regulation and construction of identities and has been represented through a multimedia format within the virtual sphere. The webs structure as a conjunction of all previous non-virtual media forms has enabled a transition that encourages users to not only use but create content.

 

Bibliography

Beer, David (2007), ‘Social network(ing) sites…revisiting the story so far: A response to Danah Boyd and Nicole Ellison’, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication. vol.13, no. 2, pp. 516-529.

Burnett, R& Marshall, PD 2003, ‘The Look of the web’, in Web Theory; An Introduction, Routledge, London

Rachels, J. (1993)’Are there absolute moral rules?’ in The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 2^nd ed, McGraw-Hill, New York