Talk:Samantha Primack

When pinpointing challenges in creating an online version of an actual person, I never thought about it, but eyebrows really do have the ability to change the way a whole face looks. Depending on the thickness and arch of person’s eyebrows their natural expression can be changed. I agree that creating a more feminine shape was difficult. There was really no option to create wider set hips and a more slender shoulders than male counterparts. While going through, I did not notice that there was no option to change an avatars height.

As for self-representation and expression, piercing, tattoos, and jewelry are simple ways that people can express their religion, beliefs, stories and personality. Evolver lacks these functions when creating an avatar. Without the function to allow for self-expression through piercing, tattoos, jewelry, etc., and additional layer of identity is not able to be fully expressed. From your writing, it seems that you use jewelry as a way of self-expression. Without this, the program is lacking a very important feature. Without the ability to create more feminie features, jewelry, and the high heels option, it makes it exceedingly clear that this program has been created by males with little experience with the female form. These shortcomings in the program made it difficult for many of the female students to create accurate representations of self.

I had never heard of identity tourism before but I find it interesting that to be successful, ones alternative identity must take on the opposite gender and a different race than the person’s real identity. Creating a fantasy character of another identity has the potential to be difficult. In specific, you cited it was because you have little experience as a member of the opposite sex. I found it interesting that you used Fight Club in a discussion of self-portrait. At the end of the movie, it is revealed to the narrator that Tyler and the nameless narrator are both extensions of the same character. In Fight Club, it was difficult to figure out which person represented the true character, adding to the idea that portraying oneself is very difficult.

- E. Brock

1. The use of your outside source to ground your fantasy character was very well done. It opened up a new arena to think about fantasy avatars in that I had not fully seen before. Although I have never read or seen Fight Club, your explanation plus the knowledge from SI 410 made it clear what you were thinking.