You asked for it (6)

[gerbie]

How do you think the exhibitionism and self-conscious posturing that happens on reality tv compare to the exhibitionism and self-conscious posturing on the internet, or on LiveJournal in particular? (requested by decemberthirty)


Obviously there are similarities. Apparently those people on television want the world to see what is happening in their lives. Given the fact that those lives are hardly ever worth watching, exhibitionism certainly is the word here. Not even a flasher in the park is as desperate for attention as someone who volunteers to be locked away in a house with camera surveillance 24/7. Several people who seem to have missed out on instant fame that way seem to have chosen the internet, in this case LiveJournal, to make up for that fact.



I remember people faking their own death, somebody starting a cyber relation with several others through his journal and people pretending to be someone famous. In the same category communities where people expose body parts I rather not see are plenty. And what about the rating communities: Am I popular enough?

There is a huge difference though: The director. On reality TV someone else decides how you will appear for the world to see. On the internet you are your own director. You decide who you want to be. If you like to be a Casanova, while IRL you only sit behind your computer and avoid any human contact, the web will give you this unique opportunity. If you use a beautiful girl as your icon, someone will think that is you. Who cares?

So while on television we see the truth the director wants to sell us, on the internet everybody can create their own world. There has to be a certain exhibitionist tendency inside us that drives us to maintain a LJ, next to that I sincerely believe that 90% of the people here on LJ are genuine. If that’s not the case, I’d rather not even know it.

Speaking for myself I can tell that there is some vanity in the fact that I know people read my scriblings. Every once I a while I even venture some personal stuff, though I leave that to ‘friends only’ or even a selection of that group. And no, I doubt if there are many people who really know me through the internet. So even if you call me an exhibitionist, that has probably nothing to do with the fact that you read it here.




(You asked for it, a series I started to give anyone the opportunity to tell me what to write. You want to tell me as well: leave a comment or mail me (email in user info). This was part 6, no requests waiting at the moment.)

Comments

[decemberthirty.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I agree with what you're saying, particularly the fact that the director/producers are a major difference between reality tv and the internet. Do you think that the impulse that drives people to expose their lives on television is the same as the one that drives people to keep online journals? Whenever I watch reality tv (which is not often), I find myself thinking about how I would never do that and no amount of money would be enough to get me to let cameras follow my every move, yet here I am on LJ, writing stuff for all the world to see...

[gerbie.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if it comes from the same impulse. I do think that the major impulse for reality television is the hunger for fame, regardless what they have to do for it. In the meantime there are so many blogs, very few become famous through that. And even then, this is nothing compared to the 'empty' celebrity who is only known for being in a reality show, not for their ideas, yet far wider known.

I wouldn't consider going into a Big Brother house, yet I wouldn't mind if thousands came to read my blog every day.