Ideological Foundations for The Power of Portrayal--the 2012-2013 Wilkin Chair Theme

In Race and Culture, Robert Ezra Park wrote, “It is probably no mere historical accident that the word person,[i] in its first meaning, is a mask. It is rather a recognition of the fact that everyone is always and everywhere, more or less consciously, playing a role… It is through these roles that we know each other; it is in these roles that we know ourselves” (249). We do indeed play many roles and identity formation is a continuous process. In constructing the self we present to others, we rely on many models of identity formation: work, family, friends, personal achievements, travel, hobbies, cathartic events, etc. And representation of our “self” is always influenced by social interaction—both real and imagined.

My research interest in self-presentation is rooted in its literary and rhetorical manifestations—specifically, what has been loosely defined as “autobiography,” and more generally, what might be called “autobiographical elements.” These elements are the various oral, textual and graphical artifacts we use to create, alter, and maintain the self we present to others. Whether these artifacts be pictures on Flickr, videos on YouTube, Podcasts on StoryCorps, content edits in Wikipedia, “tweets” in Twitter, blog threads on WordPress, wall posts on facebook, or even personal search histories on Google, they serve to approximate an organic conception of the self. It this digital self, created consciously and unconsciously, that will serve as the primary focus for this year's Wilkin Chair events at UF.

Let's start with a basic question(s) and a quote: 

How do you represent yourself in our contemporary digital age? What tools do you use? What artifacts do you use? How do you "control" your image?

You are of course never yourself.

Gertrude Stein, Everybody’s Autobiography

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[i] Emphasis mine.