Identity and representation on the internet

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:This thesis investigates the ways in which identity is established andrepresented on the Internet. Through detailed case studies of differentInternet sites, I examine the changing parameters of these concepts, andindeed of our concept of 'reality' itself. I then undertake a detailedreading of a number of films that represent the Internet as an integral partof their narrative. I make use, but also critique, postmodernunderstandings of identity and representation. Existing postmoderntheories of identity and representation cannot fully account for the wayInternet identity functions and the Internet interacts with other media andoffline life. New analyses are required to explain the interactions betweenthese concepts. This thesis uses the constructs of presence, performance,the body, and narrative to describe the way in which identity andrepresentation function online, are represented in film and influenceoffline life.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University