Gender On The Web
Well, I picked my Meez to be a guy. I did so because I enjoy being one. I also picked him to be a cowboy. I am no cowboy in real life, so I figuered, "I like John Wayne Movies, why not have my Meez be a Cowboy;" and Eureka, my Meez became a Cowboy.
Do the claims in these articles mirror your own experiences online?
I feel as though some of the claims in the article do mirror both online experiences, and real life experiences. As stated with the Corey example in Turkel Piece, it is easier to be taken seriously when people think they are talking to a more authoritative figure. In Corey’s case, people think she is a man, and therefore more authoritative. In my experience, I have been confused for my father (we share the same name, and sound alike on the phone). I have been lent more credibility by this because people think I am a 50 year old man, not a 22 year old college student. To tie this again back to gender and credibility, my Meez is a man because I wanted to be a Cowboy. Male cowboys make more sense to me (not to offend).
What does it mean to be able to play with identity so easily?
I believe that making easier to tweak with gender identity allows people to better understand other genders. That is to say that one can take on the roll of any “kind� of person they want (whether it be a strait person, gay person, black white, woman, man what have you) and delve into their world. One could possibly a great deal about other people this way, by masquerading accordingly.
How does this ability influence our actions in digital spaces?
The beauty of gender swapping is that it makes our actions on the web limitless. That is to say, one is totally uninfluenced, as to their initial actions on the web. However, as one’s masquerade continues. One must continue to play their part, and convincingly. As Turkel again points out in her case study.
Can/do you generally trust people online to be whom or what they say they are?
This is a tricky question because as in reality, some people lie, and some people tell the truth. I would propose that just because it is easier for someone to lie on the web, does not mean that they will necessarily lie any more than they would in person.