Brad Paisley's music video for So Much Cooler Online shows us how in online communication we can create an inflated picture of ourselves that is not accurate. When we communicate online we lack immediate communication which makes it easier for us to describe ourselves in any manner that we would like. For some people, online communication has been a way to simulate fantasy. They can create a picture that is inaccurate and false unbeknownst to anyone else. When we replace immediate communication with more CMC channels we gain some things but also lose others. CMC provides us with better and faster accessibility. However, it also allows people to fabricate an image of who they are.
Paisley's video took this issue to the extreme and had some very comedic elements in it but the message he is sending does ring true about online communication. In the video the main character is 5'3, overweight, and bald. He lives at home with his parents in their basement and is in the marching band. This Peeping Tom has never had a girlfriend and uses the internet to build himself up, or simulate the fantasy world in which he would like to live. Online he is 6'5, in great shape and has great abs. He drives a Maserati and models for GQ and Calvin Klein; a far better profession than delivering pizzas out of the back of his Hyundai. Even on a bad day he can go home, power up his computer, and have a three way (online).
What we see is how the internet can be used as an escape. This is not a bad thing but some people will take this to the extreme. Brad Paisley is sending a message to inform us how the internet can be used to create an enhanced or fabricated image of who we are. In the music video the main character has a three way conversation with two other women; one blond and one brunette who are both very attractive. As he engages in conversation he has no idea that he is talking to two males. I think this is accurate in the sense that online people lack the immediate communication which makes it easy to hide who they really are. When communicating online all we have to base our opinions and perceptions of other people are what they tell us. Even pictures can be be deceiving. I have friends who use myspace and faebook and put pictures on their accounts that are over 5 years old. In this way I think pictures can be misleading as well.
When we examine this topic it is important to study how it relates to the idea of a technocracy and technopoly. In a technocracy tools play a key role in the world of culture but do come at a cost. Postman suggests that tools attack culture, and in doing so they attack our traditions, social mores, myth, politics, and religion. If we compare this to what Paisley says in his song we can see how Postman's negative view of technology applies. We can use the internet and technology as a tool, but at what point does it become counterproductive? Going online and painting a completely inaccurate portrayal is counterproductive to communication. This attacks our morals and traditions in the sense that we do not have to show the world who we really are. Postman further goes on and describes a technopoly as a society that is only loosely controlled by social custom and religious tradition and is driven by the impulse to invent. In our culture we seek out and welcome and form of communication that will make our lives easier. This is not necessarily a bad thing but there are some costs associated with doing this. I would not go as far to say that technology is an attack on our culture. I would say that technology does challenge some of our cultural and social traditions. If we solely rely on technology to communicate with one another we put ourselves at the mercy of computers, cell phones, and twitter pages. I think it is important to use these tools as they can enhance technology, but we do not want to completely rely on them.
When using the internet it is important to paint an accurate picture of ourselves. We should describe ourselves as we are in real time, not what we wish we could be. In the end we do not gain anything by distorting images of who we really are. In Paisley's video we saw how at the end the main character became true to himself and stopped hiding behind his computer. He put on his marching band uniform and got the girl of his dreams.
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I thought you made some very good points about how the internet has made it easier to fabricate an image. While I hadn't thought of it that way prior to reading your blog, your point about fulfilling a fantasy was a very interesting one. It actually reminded me of the online game "Second Life." In the game, people construct an avatar which they use for in-game interactions. However, "Second Life" isn't that much like a game as it is like a chat room/ecommerce site. The thing I've heard most about "Second Life" is how people use it as an online means to fulfilling sexual fantasies. I'm sure these are not the only kinds of fantasies you were alluding to in your blog, but this is what I immediately thought of about "Second Life."
ReplyDeleteYour point about fabrication also reminded me of a friend of mine who once tried online dating. He met a girl through craigslist (not something I would suggest) and they decided to meet. She ending up being nothing like how she had described herself: she was not the graduate law student from Chicago, and to top it all off, she ended up being a minor! Moral of the story: it's hard to trust people online when it's so easy to be someone you're not.
I think that by now most all people have heard the horror stories of people posing to be what they're not online. Your comment that people need to be truthful is right on and you reminded us of how in the video both characters won when they became true to themselves.
ReplyDeleteI think that we often see the people being deceived as the greater victim but I see the deceiver (at least in this case)as being the biggest loser.