That was the title of a forum member(codenamed EntityG)’s new thread at a music video editing/creating community. Upon opening the forum window, I was slightly taken aback by the topic, though not at all surprised by the poster of said topic. Actually, my first guess as to the author of the thread was absolutely correct. Though the title of the thread may seem out of line, and possibly considered mild flaming, I expected to see EntityG link to a good article about constructive criticism. In other words, EntityG has developed such a presence in this online domain, that his behaviors are easily identifiable. But how did I come to develop these thoughts about his personality?
“Brunswik’s lens model describes one process by which individuals make inferences about the characteristics of others” (Walther, 6). The Lens Model is made up of three parts: cue validation, cue utilization, and functional achievement. Functional achievement (the last part) is when cue validation and cue utilization co-occur to allow an individual to make an accurate assessment about a certain target.
In order to proceed in making judgments about a target, the Brunswikian model emphasizes the importance of a target’s environment. Four mechanisms are used to connect targets to their surrounding environments: self-directed identity claims, other-directed identity claims, interior behavioral residue, and exterior behavioral residue. In the case of a target’s asynchronous forum persona, I have made the following assumptions:
- Self-directed identity claims (claims made by the target that are used to benefit or reinforce his self-views) are represented by the user’s profile.
- Other-directed identity claims (statements to others about how they would like to be regarded) are represented by the user’s avatar or profile picture.
- Interior behavioral residue (traces of behavior from the actual webspace) is represented by the user’s forum posts.
- Exterior behavioral residue (traces of behavior from outside the webspace) is represented by the user’s uploaded video creations (as the community is home to music video editing).
As is seen in EntityG’s profile, he’s not a friendly person. On the contrary, his few comments are sarcastic and condescending. This demonstrates EntityG’s triteness and a lack of profundity in a way. EntityG’s avatar (above) has not changed for years, projecting a stable-self image. His video creations seem like immature and sarcastic uploads, maintaining the idea that this guy is nothing less than a shallow troll of a jerk.
Up to this point, EntityG appears to show no degree of openness, agreeableness, or conscientiousness (and probably a bit of neuroticism). But the major set-back occurs from the user’s forum posts, or what I have deemed his internal behavioral residue since all users’ posts are reviewable. Though EntityG does post insensitive comments every so often, many of his contributions to more elaborate threads/topics are profound, deep, and representative of a “devil’s advocate” (or the voice that provides alternative thought). A forum treat is to catch one of his posts about his personal life and why his online persona is so bitter. It is strange to see that when interaction with other people is most tangible, EntityG’s openness and extraversion seem to increase.
Comments:
http://comm245yellow.blogspot.com/2007/10/a71-in-moonshadow-of-giant.html
http://comm245yellow.blogspot.com/2007/10/7-anatomy-of-blog.html
2 comments:
Great analysis here. I think if you look a little bit deeper into EntityG's profile you can see some of what you indicated comes out clearly when he interacts with other people directly. Clearly, the fact that he's participating on a forum with a creative focus indicates that he at least fancies himself somewhat creative. This is evidenced in the “profile” section of the data you posted, indicating that perhaps his degree of openness is elevated. I'm not really sure how to interpret the usefulness number, but perhaps that might indicate some degree extroversion as well? I definitely agree that at face value he seems to be neurotic and disagreeable.
I love the intro. It definitely caught my attention as I skimmed blogs to comment on. I agree with your assumptions to some extent. A users profile is a self-directed identity claim since the person is trying to reinforce what he thinks of himself. However, I would also argue that profiles are other-directed as well since the point of a profile is to showcase to others what you’re like. Avatar’s are the same way; they are both self-directed (what I think I look like) and other-directed (the image I want others to associate with me). Uploaded video creations are a perfect example of exterior behavior residue showing what the user creates outside of the forum. Forum posts are interior behavior residue since it shows what the user thinks, acts, and does inside the forum.
Also, the fact that you judged EntityG as shallow, immature, and sarcastic is reflective of the hyperpersonal model. You are making an exaggerated assumption based on limited cues. Good job with your post! You related your example to the theories and reading well.
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