Module 9 - Reflection - Shelby Soke

 

My Journey in Creating a Digital Self-Representation



Creating my self(ie)

Creating a digital self-portrait using DALL-E, an AI-powered image generation tool, has been enlightening and challenging, as has this semester of COMM 555 as a whole. This project began with selecting themes that reflect my personal and professional identity—community, belonging, professionalism, culture, and individuality. These themes were influenced by the course material on digital identity and the dynamics of online self-representation.

Using DALL-E required thoughtful input of baseline personal information and desired themes. My portrayal as a professional woman in her thirties who enjoys travel, cooking, and being involved in home renovations was not just a random choice but a deliberate attempt to capture the complexity of my personal life and translate it. The output was a digital image that, while algorithmically generated, resonated with my self-perception and societal roles.





My AI generated selfies

Reflections on Representation

The portrayal by the AI captured nuanced aspects of my identity but also revealed the inherent limitations and biases of AI technology. This process made me critically consider how technology interprets and represents human attributes. The contrast between my digital and physical-world personas highlighted the expansive capabilities and potential pitfalls of digital self-representation. I also found it interesting that all of the selfies generated were thin, able-bodied and conventionally attractive. The AI was not provided with any of those traits. While is is a minor example, the inherent bias in these tools, which reflects our society’s values, is problematic. 

Peer Review Insights

The peer review did not provide much critical feedback and was more about affirmative and highlighted the assignment’s strengths. While the review was positive and greatly appreciated, it lacked substantial critique, possibly due to the absence of established trust or relationship dynamics. The digital divide also made the exercise of providing peer feedback difficult for me. This experience underlined the challenges of receiving constructive feedback in isolated digital interactions and mirrored past challenges I have had in remote work environments. Despite our increasingly online realities, connection is still important.

Ethical and Cultural Implications

Navigating through the ethical landscape while creating my digital self was complex. Questions about privacy, data usage, and the ethical implications of AI-generated content were paramount. While Chat GPT, which powers DALL-E, is pervasive throughout this semester, there was a lot of news media about its parent company and the questionable structure of their board. Cultural influences were equally significant as they shaped the content and context of my digital self-portrait. This exploration highlighted the need for a cautious approach in digital identity creation, considering the broader societal and cultural impacts.

Transliteracy: From Theory to Blog

Writing this blog post and engaging in transliteracy has been one of the most difficult aspects of the course, a somewhat uncomfortable merging of the academic and professional tones that coexist but are not often intertwined. This required adjusting the academic tone to a more conversational one suitable for blog readers while maintaining the integrity and depth of the original scholarly work. This shift from traditional critical analysis to this blog post reflects the changing paradigms in digital communication. It illustrates how the medium influences the delivery and reception of a message, reshaping the communication landscape in significant ways.

Concluding Thoughts

Creating a digital self-portrait using AI was a profound exercise in self-exploration and representation in the digital age. This project allowed me to reflect on my identity and how it interacts with technological advancements and cultural narratives. The course material significantly shaped my understanding, with insights from Gorham (2023) on digital professionalism and the impact of past online experiences (Gorham, 2023), Lui et al. (2018) on the empowering role of selfies in social movements (Liu, F., Ford, D., Parnin, C., & Dabbish, L., 2018), and Tiidenberg (2018) on aging women's self-representation on Instagram (Tiidenberg, 2018).

As we navigate through increasingly digital lives, the intersections of technology, identity, and culture will continue to be crucial areas for exploration and understanding. This journey underscores the need for ongoing dialogue around the ethical creation and management of digital selves, ensuring that as our digital footprints expand, they do so in ways that are respectful, inclusive, and authentic. The insights from Adjei et al. (2020) on digital identity management further highlight the delicate balance required in the digital domain between personal expression and maintaining privacy (Adjei, J. K., Adams, S., Mensah, I. K., Tobbin, P. E., & Odei-Appiah, S., 2020).

As AI and new media continue to advance, the boundaries of self-representation will expand, offering new possibilities for expressing and understanding our digital selves. This evolution prompts a critical examination of the ethical considerations, privacy implications, and the potential for inclusive narratives that embrace the diversity of identities in digital spaces.

References

Adjei, J. K., Adams, S., Mensah, I. K., Tobbin, P. E., & Odei-Appiah, S. (2020). Digital Identity Management on Social Media: Exploring the Factors That Influence Personal Information Disclosure on Social Media. Sustainability, 12(23), 9994. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239994

Gorham, L. (2023). Digital Baggage: Influences on New Student Affairs Professionals' Social Media Use and Digital Identity. College Student Affairs Journal, 41(2), 68-82. https://doi.org/10.1353/csj.2023.a916692

Liu, F., Ford, D., Parnin, C., & Dabbish, L. (2018). Selfies as Social Movements: Influences on Participation and Perceived Impact on Stereotypes. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 1. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319650312_Selfies_as_Social_Movements_Influences_on_Participation_and_Perceived_Impact_on_Stereotypes

Tiidenberg, K. (2018). Visibly ageing femininities: women’s visual discourses of being over-40 and over-50 on Instagram. Feminist Media Studies, 18(1), 61-76, DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2018.1409988

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