Trip Down Virtual Memory Lane

Inspired by Laura I have decided to take a trip down virtual memory lane. Because as it turns out, the social internet and I go way back. At least it feels like it.

NetStationen: Pixels and presence - where it all began...

It all started sometime in the 6th grade, I think. Around the millenium. A class mate of mine introduced me to NetStationen. I created an avatar and began exploring the virtual skyscraper. A lot of people were online, but it seemed I never quite got the social 'hang of it'. I enjoyed watching the others chat and when I finally communicated, it was within one of the private chat rooms, where I met up with my class mate to discuss school work - and later on also leisure. I do not remember my avatar's name nor her looks or possessions (you were able to buy apartments, clothing etc.) I actually do not recall purchasing any of it. What I do recall though was getting to know my class mate and turning her into my friend through chatting at NetStationen. We connected - literally and metaphorically - thanks to the pixels and presence of NetStationen. Back then I did not realize that this form of communication and socially connecting was to be my preferred way of reaching out to people and letting them get to know me for years and years to come.

The story of the sunflower

At one time my class mate (and now also friend) introduced me to another feature of the internet: My first (and last?) virtual sunflower. I do not remember the URL for it, but on the website you were to buy a seed for a virtual sunflower. As time went by you needed to water it, nourish it - and the main purpose was to watch it grow. My lunch breaks at school were all about checking in on my sunflower. How big had it gotten? Did it need water? Fertilizer? I really enjoyed having to take care of this virtual flower of mine. At one point the sunflower eventually died. I do not remember actually being sad about it, since I was quick to replace it with another seed - and start all over again.

Arto: Where it all got real...

Through the years I have been online on a bunch of sites. Before Skype I was connected to friends and family through MSN Messenger and before Facebook I was simultaneously connected through Arto, BlackMarket and MySpace. The first of these have without a doubt been the most meaningful and powerful site to me - and that is of all online social sites I have ever signed up for. At Arto I met some of the most incredible people - people, I still connect with today. In fact one of them is my boyfriend. And I think that pretty much sums it up. At Arto I met sincere people with sincere intentions and we had an understanding - and it was real. The same went for my presence at BlackMarket, which was an underground social site, wanting to celebrate 'the different'. I signed up out of curiosity but ended up actually meeting a few nice people with whom I socially interacted for some time - both online and offline.

"Hi! I'm NiceGuy27! Wanna chat?"

Unlike my interactions at both Arto and BlackMarket, I sometimes also enrolled in some good old anonymous role playing, pretending to be "Suzanne" on the Danish chat site, Jubii Chat. The chat site was hugely popular at one time. My parents' old modem could not quite keep up with the activity of the folks chatting. I mainly went online at Jubii to explore the world of possibilities within the chat forum. I could for once be whomever I wanted to be - and no one could ever reveal 'the dog' behind the screen, so to speak. No one knew my name, location, age or gender. And no one (it seemed) suspected anything. Obviously I must have been an excellent "NiceGuy27" although I was a 14-year-old girl. I quite enjoyed this playing with identity and avatars.

Status quo

A hop, skip and jump forward in time, today I'm online at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Skype and Instagram. I use Facebook to connect with people I already know: Friends, family, acquaintances, colleagues, classmates, former classmates and so on. My main goal of self presentation is personal on Facebook. On Twitter I'm a lot more 'professional' in a way. I mostly follow people whom are academically or scientifically interesting. I tweet and retweet more and more often (since I started the Digital Identities course at least) and the content is about professional topics. On LinkedIn the entire purpose is of course professional and I consider it my virtual curriculum vitae. Also I use LinkedIn to keep myself updated on courses I have taken and attended, texts I have written etc. Pinterest is mainly for fun and inspiration and I consider it somewhat private. The same goes for Skype, where I am only connected to close friends and family. Instagram is special, since I haven't posted anything on my profile. I only go there to catch up on friends and acquaintances. I have this profile out of pure curiosity.

What is then interesting about my online social doings through the years? Well, for starters it has always been about exploring, being curious and wanting to 'try it out' for myself. Secondly the social aspect of the history has become more and more distinct. I used to be (and feel as) a complete stranger when going online. Today I feel as if there is a 'place' for me online. I somehow belong there, and someone out there is expecting my presence. At least I am expecting my online presence. The social online media are now a part of my everyday life whereas it used to be an entertaining input from time to time. I guess I take my self (and my digital identity) more seriously now - and I guess that goes for my analogue self as well.