Comments on: Week 5 – Lifestream commentary http://digitalculture-ed.net/sarahp/2009/10/25/week-5-lifestream-commentary/ Part of the MSc in E-learning at the University of Edinburgh Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:02:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Sarah Payne http://digitalculture-ed.net/sarahp/2009/10/25/week-5-lifestream-commentary/comment-page-1/#comment-41 Sarah Payne Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:46:56 +0000 http://digitalculture-ed.net/sarahp/?p=126#comment-41 I was thinking about this on the way home in the car this evening. How 'authentic' am I in real life, let alone in the VR. In reality I am partner, sister, daughter, widow, friend, collegue, teacher, crafter, reader, smart arse... I interact in a different way depending on which of these heads I am wearing, like a real life Worzel Gummage. So if I do this in real life how can I complain if people only represent portions of themselves to me in the VR? I was thinking about this on the way home in the car this evening. How ‘authentic’ am I in real life, let alone in the VR. In reality I am partner, sister, daughter, widow, friend, collegue, teacher, crafter, reader, smart arse… I interact in a different way depending on which of these heads I am wearing, like a real life Worzel Gummage.

So if I do this in real life how can I complain if people only represent portions of themselves to me in the VR?

]]> By: jen http://digitalculture-ed.net/sarahp/2009/10/25/week-5-lifestream-commentary/comment-page-1/#comment-40 jen Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:58:06 +0000 http://digitalculture-ed.net/sarahp/?p=126#comment-40 "is there a different view of authenticity when the world inhabited is a digital (and largely unauthentic) environment?" I agree that this is a really important question - as I commented to Andy, though (http://digitalculture-ed.net/andym/2009/10/20/etnography-and-digital-communities/#comment-33), I find virtual ethnography a really good excuse for thinking about how ethnography and research in general positions itself in relation to authenticity. Do we ever have reason to claim 'authenticity'? What does that mean? These are the sorts of questions I especially like... :-) “is there a different view of authenticity when the world inhabited is a digital (and largely unauthentic) environment?”

I agree that this is a really important question – as I commented to Andy, though (http://digitalculture-ed.net/andym/2009/10/20/etnography-and-digital-communities/#comment-33), I find virtual ethnography a really good excuse for thinking about how ethnography and research in general positions itself in relation to authenticity. Do we ever have reason to claim ‘authenticity’? What does that mean? These are the sorts of questions I especially like… :-)

]]>