Thursday, March 11, 2010

Foggy Windows

Blog Post #5
Friday 11 AM Section


It is funny that only a decade ago, Jennifer Ringley was a considered an exhibitionist; that her behavior was deemed extravagant; that critics were quick to judge and say that clearly she is lacking something in her life and is trying to fill that void by broadcasting herself to the world.



In the decade since, the irony is that we have all become exhibitionists. While once, we were appalled by the fact that someone would allow us to enter their "private" world, now it is expected that one has some form of social profile. Your private profile becomes your public forum.



Burgin writes, "The person who violently demanded that Jenni perform a striptease seems blind to the fact that Jenni never does anything else." (86) That is what we are all doing nowadays. We share parts of our lives so that our friends and strangers can demand for more. Thus, I also find it interesting how the focus seems to be on these exhibitionists and understanding the motives behind why they chose to display their lifes. However, perhaps what we should be studying or asking now, is why do we care so much? Why do we feel like we have a right to have access into a person's life? Consider this benign example on Facebook. With the new privacy settings, do you feel frustrated when you do not have access to a person's photos, wall, etc right away? Sure, everything now on the Internet can seem like a window, but why must they necessarily be transparent? A little cloudiness once in a while can't hurt.

No comments: