MANIFESTO!

In our society today, the internet has become an ever expanding hub of information that is reachable from almost anywhere across the planet, and is readily available for anyone with a computer and a phone-line. Out in the crux of the net, we are free to chat to each other from as far away as opposite sides of the globe if they so wish. Using such sites as “MySpace” or “Facebook”, anyone can set up a profile, sharing whatever information they like about themselves including their hobbies and interests, and even photos. But how can we be sure the person we are talking to is who they say they are? The answer is of course, we can never be 100% sure that anyone is exactly all they claim to be, unless we meet them face to face. The truth is, it is easy to pretend that you are someone completely different online, changing you age, location and even gender, with just a few mouse clicks, you can completely reinvent yourself. The ease with which one of these accounts can be set up is quite astonishing; especially with regards to how easy it is to set up a false account. The only form of factor that needs to be included that is real, is an email address, but even that can be set up under a false name quite easily, through sites such as “Hotmail”.
It could be considered that setting up your own “Facebook” or “MySpace” account is a form of performance in itself, as it is something that has been created for other people to look at, and interact with.
There are many reasons why people might chose to fictionalize an online persona, one of the most prominent being their own insecurities. The internet gives people the opportunity to be who and what the want to be, giving them the option to fantasize over their absolute ideal. Many other people online use false identities for more dishonest reasons, for example, someone of a perverse indisposition may use the internet to interact with people they would never usually have the courage, or perhaps the social skills to talk to, but by hiding behind the mask of their false identity to tell them things they would never say otherwise.
Through making a false identity online, I hope to prove just how easy it is to reinvent yourself, changing any detail to suit your ideals, and show how easy it is to make people see these falsities as being as real as you or me. I also want to consider how easy it is to become completely shut off from the real world, by living life entirely online, where you can make friends, even find ‘online’ lovers, and ask whether it is important that the people we speak to online are real or not. After all, it is unlikely you will ever have a chance to meet them face to face.

Online Community?

John C. Dvorak, an award winning columnist from PC Magazine, argues that all sites like MySpace are “artificial communities” which are filled with fakes and vandals, who are there to “stir up trouble”. He argues that up to 50% of the users on some of these community sites are fakes. Dvorak raises the question;

“Is there any way to establish and maintain an online community with no fakes and vandals ruining it for everyone? Or is the problem just a reflection of society that we must live with?” - John C. Dvorak

False Identity Generator

http://lifehacker.com/software/privacy/create-your-own-false-identity-181710.php

This is a site i found that generates fake information that can be used to create a false identity online. It generates a fake name, city, state and zip code, telephone number, DOB and mother's maiden name. Such identities are generated for the purpose of such things as forms that need to filled in order to sign up to certain websites, or as pseudonyms to avoid companies from seeing past information about yourself. Obviously, such information could be used for many other illegitimate reasons, also.

The final Product...............

Here is a video to accompany the fake Myspace account i created. i decided to make this video in this style, in order to almost promote making a "New Online Identity", not because I see it as being a good thing to do, but to demonstrate that this is an easy thing to do, that anyone could achieve if they wanted to.

ONLINE IDENTITY

The Internet is a device that can be used to talk to anyone across the world. This can be done in a whole manner of ways, including, instant messaging, Skype, E-mail, through Blogs, such as this one, and through websites like Facebook and Myspace. But not everyone on the Internet are always exactly who they say they are. Online you can create a whole new identity, telling people exactly what you want to about yourself, giving you the option to completely re-invent yourself, giving you the opportunity to change your age, where you live what you look like and even your gender. For my final project, i shall be investigating how easy it is to assume a new identity, which is totally different to my own. To do this i shall be using networking sites, such as Facebook and Myspace, to invent fictional characters. By doing this i hope to demonstrate how easily this can be done, and how people online should not always be taken on face value, as you can never be 100% certain who you are talking to!

What is Performance Anyway??

Is a performance simply something you go to see for enjoyment, or is it more than that??

The word performance can cover so many things, from a full theatre production, to a lecture, to a conversation with your friend. Even creating a Facebook account could be considered to be a form of performance. When I hear the word performance, usually I think of something that has had a lot of time and thought invested into it, and has been created with the intention of entertaining or informing. Actually, the words meaning can be interpreted as being far broader than that; it could be your performance at work, or to perform an act of kindness.

The following is a dictionary definition, taken from Dictionary.com of the word 'performance':

1. a musical, dramatic, or other entertainment presented before an audience.
2. the act of performing a ceremony, play, piece of music, etc.
3. the execution or accomplishment of work, acts, feats, etc.
4. a particular action, deed, or proceeding.
5. an action or proceeding of an unusual or spectacular kind: His temper tantrum was quite a performance.
6. the act of performing.

7.the manner in which or the efficiency with which something reacts or fulfills its intended purpose.

From these different definitions, it is clear to see what a broad spectrum this word encompasses.

MY FIRST BLOG

So this is my first ever blog, the contents of which is going towards my Drama degree, for the module entitled 'Virtuality and Performance'. On this blog, i shall be questioning what performance is, and thinking about what should be validated as pieces of performance?