I have a pen pal of 40+, who often challenges my view of the contemporary world. In our correspondence, she once mentioned that the way I post pictures online seems voyeur to her. I gave this idea a thought, and have realized that indeed most of my activity online is rather scopophilic. The way I live and make friends, forces me to utilize internet as a medium for communication with them, and the way I expose moments of my life are nothing but exhibitionist attempts to impose my personality.In the contemporary world, voyeurism and exhibitionism have accepted new shapes, and mostly refer to exposure of personalities, rather than physical bodies.
The more you think about it, the more pathetic it seems. The facebook seems to be an ideal tool for contemporary scopophilia. Sometimes I feel really naked posting my pictures, and sharing things that I should keep private. But the more you share, the more addicted you become. You loose touch with the sense of real friendship, making it more virtual. Subliminally you act voyeur, when browsing through the profiles of your friends, and act exhibitionist when trying to display yourself for everyone to see who you are...
Even at this very moment, writing this blog, I am exposing my ideas, which otherwise would have found their place in my journal. Yet I voluntarily choose to make them public. I am being exhibitionist?
1 comment:
I don't really think you are being exhibitionist. I struggle with the same sense of shame when examining my online behaviour, even my real-life beahaviour. I think it's important that you understand your behaviour though and you accept it for what it is. Some people don't even know what voyeurism and exhibitionism is. I think they are apart of human nature and to an extent inheirant qualities of humans but the technology of the internet promotes it and displays it in a way it has never been done before. And it also does it in a way that seems unharmful to social relations. I've been really interested in these concepts since I've learned about them in my visual culture class last year. But props to you for blogging those ideas for people who haven't really contemplated them! -Rachel
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