Sixteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

An individual’s inner sense of identity, of who they are, can be at odds with their role in society. My recent art works have focused on how extensive use of digital social media can affect an individual user’s perception of their own identity. This paper reviews how I used my performance art as a conceptual framework to interact with a cross-section of people, raising related questions and ideas about identity. My main objective was to obtain a better understanding of how the use of social media and other digital technology can change one’s sense of identity. Literature, including recent work from a phenomenological and existential perspective, is reviewed relative to this project and the concerns it raises. Digital technology can be wonderful, but it is also infused with inner paradoxes; internet users can find themselves in a difficult landscape, left to navigate in a liminal space without distinctions.