The ideology of Technology

Technology…at times it seems that we can’t live with it and yet cannot live without it (much like clichés =). In our western society technology and the media are as ubiquitous as McDonalds. While reading Barkers anthology on popular culture I found his discussion about technology and identity particularly interesting. Barker mentions theorists such as Turkle (1995) who see technological innovations such as gaming as a means for individuals to explore gender and identity. In her argument Turkle discusses MUD’s or Multi User Dimensions, which in her opinion enable “people…to play with identities and to try out new ones; in MUDs she suggests one can be many. This displaces the notion of an authentic identity and decentres the self without limit.” (Turkle, 362). Essentially Turkle takes the position that technology offers individuals the opportunity to “recreate” themselves in a way that would not necessarily be possible in ‘real life’ (362). Barker phrased it best when he makes the observation that “cyberspace is a dominion of playful identity construction were anything is possible” (Barker, 349). Though it appears that cyberspace offers us the freedom to recreate ourselves and sever ourselves from the constrictions of our society the reality is that this ideological fancy is misleading. The truth of the matter is that even if we sincerely believe that cyberspace offers us the opportunity to recreate ourselves in a way in which we will not be judged based upon gender, race, sex, ethnicity etc. we still carry with us those social ideologies from the ‘real world’ into the virtual world. One of the examples given in class by our fellow peer serves to illustrate the point. He mentioned the fact that a large portion of females who play Xbox Live feel the compulsion to take on male avatars while playing in order to avoid harassment. The fact that these individuals feel compelled to take on male avatars in order to be on ‘level playing ground’ with the ‘guys’ serves to illustrate how even in the virtual world certain ideologies about gender and identity carry over. As Simon de Beauvoir would point out, even in the virtual world women are still viewed as the ‘other’. Though many individuals believe that the internet and technological advances such as online gaming will help us break the ideologies that constrict our society the truth of the matter is that these ideologies are as ubiquitous in the virtual world as they are in the real world. Unfortunately for those ‘mavericks’ who believe that cyberspace is the fulcrum upon which the inequalities of our society will be abolished, Papacharissi cynically sets the record straight when she says “The Internet can then give rise to the illusion of dissent in the face of actual powerlessness.” (Barker, 355). Ouch! I couldn't have said it better myself.

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Barker, Chris. Cultural Studies, Theory& Practice. California: SAGE Publications Inc. 2008. Print