Thesis Proposal and Virtual Worlds

As I have recently completed (the first draft of) my thesis proposal, I feel the need to relate my planned work to some of the issues that we are dealing with in the Social Media, Transmedia, Virtual Worlds, and Gaming group. I am going to be writing about the contemporary expressions of Cartesian duality (ie. mind and body dichotomization) in thinspiration content produced by users in pro-eating disorder communities online. Specifically, I plan to analyze the visual and textual motifs in thinspiration picture-quotes. The picture-quote refers to images that combine pictures (that may or may not be user-generated) with words, which are exceedingly popular in pro-anorexia communities.

I think that self-identified pro-eating disorder communities and sites can offer a new means for approaching the underlying and defining cultural messages regarding the body in contemporary society. At the same time, I think that this examination can potentially be useful as a study of expression of identity online. By highlighting the role that members of pro-anorexia communities have as producers of digital artifacts, I hope to both identify the processes of self-making, as well as the ways in which the members are avid enforcers of dominant cultural ideals.

In addition to sections that look at our culture's overvaluation of thinness and the ways in which this relates to mind-body dualism, and readings of the textual and visual content of the thinspo picture-quotes, I plan to have a section that addresses the particularities of the medium and the mode of distribution. I think it is not a coincidence that quasi-social sites like Tumblr, Pinterest, and Weheartit are often the hosts of pro-eating disorder communities. These sites allow users to easily access, circulate, and collect images, while providing a semi-anonymous place for the construction of identity. For this interpretation of pro-anorexia communities and their artifacts I plan to draw on both folkloric interpretations of expression on the Internet, as well as the work of social and cultural theorists dealing with identity online. This component of my thesis--the analysis of the particularities of social media and content sharing and production online, seems like it could fit in with the goals I had at the beginning of the semester and some of the goals of the group as a whole.

By focusing on the picture-quote, a digital artifact produced by an individual for group/public use and personal expression, I also hope to add to the discussion of everyday acts of creativity, and the role that this plays in the production of identity. Because of the hegemonic messages embedded in the self-produced imagery, I think thinspiration challenges utopian views of the Internet, while recognizing the criticality of the Internet in everyday life. While there is a growing body of work that addresses online cultural practices from a folkloric perspective, as far as I know, none of these have specifically addressed the picture-quote as a mode of production, nor have they focused on the circulation of imagery on sites like Tumblr. A detailed analysis of the aesthetic qualities and curation of imagery on pro-anorexia sites will undoubtedly add to conversations about new media and vernacular expression.

When I signed up for the course I envisioned all sorts of intersections between my topic and the course, but had trouble identifying them to the group and aligning myself with the focus on gaming. Now that I have been able to break down my ideas in my thesis proposal, my investment in this class also seems to be more clear. While my thesis does not relate to gaming per se, there are many potential points of intersection with the study of identity and virtual spaces/social media.