Information worker. Amateur Photographer. Movie-addict. News junkie. Book lover. Dog Person. Tweeting @orestisf
* de minimis non curat praetor / the praetor does not concern himself with trifles.
In an time where the Physical and the Digital Space gradually converge, more articles such as the one below will surface, attempting to answer questions about our online avatars and the environments in which they express themselves:
Avatars as the first manifestation of geo-politically unconstrained global citizens
Developing the appropriate behaviors and competencies to integrate into society is a crucial test for any concept of citizenship. Virtual society today is a connected community of global citizens thriving across multiple platforms and social networks. People are dispersed geographically, culturally and politically and are unconstrained by whom they interact with and why they interact. In virtual worlds, the borders are fluid and physically unconstrained. The personal surrogate encoded as an avatar can move about freely and participate in dynamic, multiple states at the same time. The avatar is valued more for his performance, skill and abilities in the context of the virtual world, rather than by his race, pay grade or political affiliation. The avatar is empowered with self prescribed roles and responsibilities and is emerging into a new kind of sovereign world, bursting out as the first manifestation of a geo-politically unconstrained global citizen.
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In this fifteen year (!) old piece on Wired, professor Sherry Turkle takes on the subject of our multiple online identities:
When people adopt an online persona they cross a boundary into highly charged territory. Some feel an uncomfortable sense of fragmentation, some a sense of relief. Some sense the possibilities for self-discovery, even self-transformation. Serena, a 26-year-old graduate student in history, says, "When I log on to a new MUD and I create a character and know I have to start typing my description, I always feel a sense of panic. Like I could find out something I don't want to know." Arlie, a 20-year-old undergraduate, says, "I am always very self-conscious when I create a new character. Usually, I end up creating someone I wouldn't want my parents to know about.... But that someone is part of me."
Photograph: Donkey handler in Santorini.