:)

Heath's thoughts.

So, since this is a blog, I’m going to assume that the posts will be rather informal. Should this not be the case, please let me know and I’ll tidy things up a bit.

Moving on. Regarding the use of myth in the construct of identity, I kept thinking about my Friendster profile. It is, technically, autobiography. It’s me writing about me. Yet what the profile says about me is far different from the text that I wrote.

First, it says that I’m the kind of person who doesn’t mind spilling my likes and dislikes all over the Internet. Next, it says that I’m reflexively sarcastic, someone who takes very seriously the need to appear that I’m not taking things too seriously. It also says I like Sesame Street, though not overtly.

That’s not me. That’s who I want to be. A “possible self” if you will. But then again the possible self that I’m imagining myself being when I’m writing this isn’t nearly as narcissistic as the “now” self that’s actually doing the writing. At least that’s what I tell myself.

And I’m still not sure about the manipulation of myth as described in the Zapatista piece. I’m not sure if Sub-commander Marcos is really manipulating the myth in some kind of genius post-modern magic show. I have to wonder if the myths are instead manipulating us. Perhaps now we’ve got a new myth -- the postmodern myth – that’s just another institutional archetype playing with us while we think we’re playing with it.

As far as Rocketboom goes, I think the very structure of the show perpetuates myth far more than their actions. The Anchor behind a desk as authority figure, the remote correspondents, it all plays into pre-established archetypes. I think the power of myth resides in its unobtrusiveness, in our inability to see it on first glance.

Rocketboom, I think, would be more effective if it really played on its structure, using an archetype to subvert the assumptions associated with the archetype. I think the Situationists and the Culture Jammers are on to something in this respect, mythbusting from within.

In any case, these are my thoughts.

(Ed. Note. Sweet mother of pearl. I see that Ryan just posted a behemoth of a commentary that blows my little musings out of the water. Hmm. I’ll have to dig through it and post more later. Also, I don't know how to link stuff yet, so you're going to just have to look up the Situationists and Culture Jamming on your own until I can ask one of you. My Friendster identity shall simply remain my own.)

posted by Sue @ 4:55 PM