ginny t. Poster

Wow, finally a theorist who doesn't seem to be convinced that humanity is mere moments away from total self-annihilation. A PoMo optimist. Who knew?

Poster says "The effect of new media such as the Internet and virtual reality...is to multiply the kinds of realities one encounters in society." I'll say.

I have a variety of "realities" available for me to assume at any given time. At work, thanks to the magic of email and voicemail, I can come across as a consummate professional. Because I am not face to face with the people I am communicating with, I have the ability to constantly edit my texts before I send them out, creating the reality of me being on top of my game and knowing exactly what is going on at all times. When I'm not busy at work pretending to be awesome, I am often sucked into yet another, much more addicting reality...that of blogging (and amateur cyber-stalking) via the all consuming Myspace. In this reality, I have the ability to present myself as a witty intellectual; I'm the queen of my virtual castle. I can collect people like baseball cards, with my true "real" friends taking pride of place in the coveted "Top Eight" spots. Myspace is a reality that you can completely control, and that's why I think it's so appealing to people. You can broadcast an image of the best of who you are, or who you think you're supposed to be. In addition to email, the telephone and Myspace, other media, especially TV, movies, and magazines provide still more realities for people to participate in. There is truly something for everyone.

It seems though, that these multiple realities and the opportunities they imply are really a curse to the Postmodern (wo)man. Instead of being inspired and refreshed by the concept of malleable reality and limitless possibilities, many people are getting bogged down by choices. We've gotten used to the idea of multiple realities, and we try to live our lives accordingly. It is no longer accepted by society to choose one reality and attempt to lead an authentic life; instead, we are encouraged to be everything to everyone, hopping in and out of various realities as needed to fulfill whatever image we are trying to project at the time. There is very little grounding individuals to their "humanness," and it's this kind of transient, relativistic take on what is "real" that is forcing the natural "truth" out of humanity. So much for optimism.

But...I would like to extend my heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS to Sean and Jaime on their engagement!! That was truly one of the sweetest "realities" I've ever had the opportunity to participate in, and I wish you a long and authentic life together.