In our first episode, we refered to Brad Paisley’s song “Online” as a tounge-in-cheek example of how people recreate themselves online. As we look more deeply in to the definition of identity, we’re going to continue with the same example. See the following lyrics to the first verse of the song:
I work down at the Pizza Pit
And I drive an old Hyundai
I still live with my mom and dad
I’m 5 foot 3 and overweight
I’m a scifi fanatic
A mild asthmatic
And I’ve never been to second base
But there’s whole ‘nother me
That you need to see
Go checkout MySpaceLook at the second verse/refrain… It’s interesting to see that verse one focuses on the creation of an alternate identity based on what the “computer geek” thinks is a cultural norm, or more specifically what’s going to make him more physically attractive.
‘Cause online I’m out in Hollywood
I’m 6 foot 5 and I look damn good
I drive a Maserati
I’m a black-belt in karate
And I love a good glass of wine
It turns girls on that I’m mysterious
I tell them I don’t want nothing serious
‘Cause even on a slow day
I could have a three way
Chat with two women at one time
I’m so much cooler online
So much cooler onlineHow has Pizza Guy created his online identity? What social standards and ideals has he based his definition of cool and desirability on? What level of reality is Pizza Guy operating at? He has all of these people believing he is a certain type of person, certain personality, where does he come to accept who he is? If Pizza Guy has completely immersed himself in his alternate reality, what are the long term effects, how does he separate his real self and his ideal self? What are the implications of this with regard to his personal mental health?
When you got my kind of stats
It’s hard to get a date
Let alone a real girlfriend
But I grow another foot and I lose a bunch of weight
Every time I loginCommunity and social impacts on the identity of the “undesirable” Pizza Guy are a huge factor in how and why he chooses to recreate his identity online. It’s interesting to think how this affects each of us individually. We may not all be living in our parents’ basement, a lonely mac-junkie, but how many of us have things that either we’ve changed in a disconnected community or would like to, given the opportunity?