This course has brought forth many communication topics in new media to my attention, and I found the articles on identity and the development of online-only relationships to be the most interesting. Relationships developed online, like the one for the fictional girl suffering from leukemia, were relatable for me to read because of how much trust and truth we put into the statements people make online. It is far too easy to believe what’s read on the Internet if the source seems legitimate and genuine in their responses. Sarcasm and lies are sometimes the hardest things to read from people when you are not communicating with a physical presence, and in the case of Kaycee Swenson, a whole community of supports had formed around it. The establishment of understanding and personal disclosure for online-only partners in social networks and online games is another example covered in this class that I enjoyed reading, and it was because of the inherent levels of communication we create in these online worlds and communities that differ from our real-life counterparts.
The collective behavior article from this week, “Collective Behavior in YouTube” by Donna Chu (2009), also falls into this because of the public perception and opinion formed only through online recognition and communication. In general, the ideas behind self-presentation and identity were some of the more intriguing articles of this semester and it certainly gave me newfound thoughts about how I conduct myself online.
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