<http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/facebooks_radically_new_f_logo.php#.UkQAKBajDUQ>
Social Media platforms that are used today by the public and
myself prove the concept of the ‘specular economy’ to be true. Marshall (2010,
p. 498, 499) states “We are moving into something I would call the “specular
economy” where collectively we are becoming more conscious of how we present
ourselves and how other perceive us and this change is migrating to the
epicenter of our knowledge economy.” To break this down the way I use Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram is to produce and present the best possible version of
myself to my friends and followers. Whether this is through what pictures I
choose to post, the comments I present online and who I interact with. I think
that this idea of the specular economy is an extension of how I present myself
in the offline world. The way I talk, walk, dress and interact in society is no
different to how I present myself online. This idea of the specular economy
applies especially to the online world of social media and is ever increasing
due to the rise and the worlds infatuation with celebrities and celebrity
culture.
A key to understanding the specular economy is the mirror
effect. We are so worried about how we present ourselves instead of seeing ourselves
for who we are we see our selves by the way we imagine others see us. The
mirror is also a mechanism to better ourselves as we see the reflection in the
mirror to be what the public see. Marshall (2010, p. 499) states “We use the
mirror to point to our weaknesses and what we want to change in our body
appearance and this helps produce, reproduce and maintain desire.” With this
idea of mirror effect this relates to my social media use. My Facebook, Twitter
and Instagram account act as a mirror to the public, it is hear that I create a
new self to present to the world. Marshall (2010, p. 499) further comments “The
use of social network sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo, and
MiniHompy, along with parallel media specific sharing websites such as YouTube
and Flikr, means that we are inhabiting spaces where we are not only on display
but we think about our mediated constructed of ourselves sometimes
continuously.” With the rise of the ‘celebrity’ the collapse of the private and
public life this has intensified the concept of the ‘specular economy’. In
relation to this Marshall (2010, p. 499, 500) comments “These boundary debates have
now become central to how people are constructing their ‘personas’ in their
everyday distribution of their versions of their selves via online and mobile
media.” To finish this post the specular economy is vital to creating an image
of myself to the world, It is hear that a new persona of myself is generated
for the wider community hear people can see who I am, what my interests are,
how I act in society and can impact on my future as we all know today that
employees, parents, friends and strangers can all see and discover who we are
by what we put online. There is very little distinction between our public and
privet lives, what my own thoughts might be that I don’t spread to the offline
world can come through to the online world by the way I can now present myself.
This is the ‘specular economy’, the shaping of ones self through the use of
social media network platforms.
Reference List:
-Marshall, DP 2010, ‘The Specular Economy’, Springer Science + Business Media, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 498, 499,
500.
-Facebook Picture: http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/facebooks_radically_new_f_logo.php#.UkQAKBajDUQ
-Twitter Picture: http://ictville.com/2013/02/forget-hate-speech-and-make-twitter-a-job-search-tool/
Hi Andrew,
ReplyDeleteYou went quite significantly over the word count on this piece, and while you engaged well with the readings, I think there is a bit of an over-reliance on quotes. Visually, the second paragraph could have been broken up a bit, as that chunk of writing was not very inviting to read.
However, the piece was engaging and I think this would be a great choice to do your extended post on. You selected good images for your piece, and I especially like the mirror one which highlighted the 'specular mirror' metaphor. Another strength was the application of the concept to your own social media use.
Great work!