The Self as a Symbolic Project, aided by social networking sites.

“Two friend requests, 
one event invitation, three unread messages, 
five photo comments and twenty-one notifications”.

These are statements users are generally met with when opening their social networking profiles. Websites such as Facebook and MySpace have virtually altered the way younger (and now older) generations communicate and stay in touch with one’s social circle (Rosen, 2007).

Rosen argues that societies are now being inundated by social networking sites, both by the big conglomerates like Facebook as well as those catering to a niche market (Deviant Art, Lookbook.nu and Polyvore) (2007). She goes on to criticise users of such sites having lost the art of real intimacy where the relationships built on such sites, though may be reliable, can often be seen as humanly dissatisfying (Rosen, 2007). However one could argue that critics such as Rosen see social networking activities as separate from one’s identity. Whereas theorists such as Thompson justify the same activities as something more substantial, such as “constructing the self as a symbolic project” (1995).  

Thompson believes that as “individuals gain access to mediated forms of communication [examples being Facebook and MySpace] they are able to draw on an expanding range of symbolic resources [such as status updates, wall posts and photo uploads] for the purposes of constructing the self [online]” (1995).

Though some critics may call it a frenzy (Rosen, 2007 and Leong, 2010), social media has definitely entrenched itself in our social lives (Rosen, 2007 and Leong, 2010). 

References

Leong, S. (2010). KCB201 New Media 1: Information and Knowledge [Lecture

 Notes]. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/contentWrapper.jsp?attachment=true&navItem=content&content_id=_3114118_1&displayName=Week+4+Lecture+Notes&course_id=_60765_1&href=/%40%40/C0ED2FF4925E63194E55D99A6C0F8274/courses/1/KCB201_10se1/content/_3114118_1/Wk4WhatIdid5secondsAgoLectureBB.pptx   

Rosen, C. (2007). Virtual Friendship and the New Narcissism. The New Atlantis, Number 17, Summer 2007: 15-31. Retrieved March 19, 2010, from http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/contentWrapper.jsp?content_id=_3070110_1&displayName=Week+4%3A+%E2%80%98MyFace%E2%80%99+or+%E2%80%9CDo+you+know+what+I+did+5+seconds+ago%3F%E2%80%9D&course_id=_60765_1&navItem=content&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenewatlantis.com%2Fpublications%2Fvirtual-friendship-and-the-new-narcissism

Thompson, J. B. (1995). 'The Self as a Symbolic Project' in The Media & Modernity: a Social Theory of the Media. Cambridge: Polity: 209-219. Retrieved March 19, 2010, from https://qutvirtual.qut.edu.au/portal/pls/portal/cmd_request_p.show_item?p_item_id=158569