Changing Identities in Cyberculture - Essay Example

so that the computer mimics a real life encounter by using the facilities of the pixels instead of the human body and the voice. The important difference between direct human contact and human contact through the medium of computers is that the usual physical aspects of communication are largely missing. Visual and aural aspects are not there, and the style of the individual is expressed through a number of substitute clues, such as the choice of font, a pseudonym usually with some reference to popular culture, and sometimes an “avatar” which is a pictorial representation of the self.

The advantage of these devices in contexts like Multi Media Online Roleplay Games(MMORPGs) are obvious, and provide many people of all ages with entertainment in which a small caricature of the self interacts with other players, and with artificial intelligence characters to fight goblins or track down aliens, or build castles or any amount of artificial social activities at the whim of the games designer. These social spaces provide a setting where people can operate in an artificial world, adopting the customs and cultures that develop there, and in effect creating a new identity specifically for that subculture in cyberspace.

The internet offers children and adults alike to play in a carefree and anonymous way, and for many this is a much valued respite from the demands of an increasingly pressurized daily life. There are some critics who see this opportunity as something potentially dangerous, and especially for the young. (Anderson et al., 2007) Without doubt the presence of paedophiles and people who prey on under age computer users is a worry. Children identify quite closely with the characters that they play, and they need to.

This essay focuses on the arrival of the internet, that has opened up a whole new dimension of communication which was inconceivable even fifty years ago. People can now not only access a world-wide store of information and communicate with contacts, but also exchange and share personal photographs online. Such possibility to post public and private messages were analyzed in the essay. It allows to develop real friendhips and relationships over time, and this is an important lifeline for many lonely or disabled people, as well as a healthy and normal development phase for young people.

Although the technology that makes all this possible has changed, the process is no different than the business man donning a suit to go to work and some jeans to go out and have a barbecue with the neighbors. The persona is adjusted to suit the context that is presented to the person. The potential for the development of neuroses and extreme or abusive personalities exists in cyberculture and are discussed in the essay in details. However, the danger of physical harm coming to a person chatting via a computer is considerably lower than that of a person in a dangerous neighborhood, or even simply sitting in a pub or going to a rock concert.

To conclude, the researcher stets that the ability to try out and maintain different internet personas is allowing people to experience a wider range of social roles and gain superior social skills, and so for this reason, cyberculture is something that we should all embrace with open arms.