Unwrapping Identity Online » Resources

Writing Memoirs When Your Past is Your Present

Deepthi — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:27:40 +0000

Richard Rushfield has written a fascinating account of trying to chronicle his mid-80s college years. In the post-James Frey era, Rushfield writes, no effort to doublecheck the past can be spared, but the past has just been multiplied by the number of characters in your story when they’re all on Facebook. It seems the past will not only come back with a vengeance but will also bring along some photographic evidence to counter your faulty memories.

Memory and the Net

Deepthi — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:07:32 +0000

The Independent in the UK has a lengthy and wide-ranging, if highly skewed towards the negative, piece on how the capabilities of memory have vastly expanded in the digital age. The examples may be a little trite and the conclusions narrow, but there’s plenty to think about here. Hoping to come back and expand on this later.

The Democratization of Online Social Networks? Not Really

Deepthi — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:25:19 +0000

Pew Internet & American Life Project, the authoritative source on Internet trends in the US, has released a report on what they call “The Democratization of Online Social Networks.” I’m having a strongly skeptical reaction to this notion of democratization as it applies to the data in the report. The data is all about demographic changes which suggest that online social networks (what we call “branded social networks” here on UIO) is becoming more representative of the US Internet-using population.

How does this relate to democratization, which would indicate a shift in decision-making structures? This is simple a demographic shift to a more balanced profile reflective of the US Internet-using population. There’s nothing to indicate that social networks are shifting to a more representative management system (although this is something that HAS happened at Facebook).

I’d respectfully suggest that Pew might want to rethink their free and easy use of the term democratization, tempting as it might be to throw in as a click-worthy buzzword that gets media attention and coverage!

The Democratization of Online Social Networks