Hello all. Not having quite the courage to go into a random chat room and talk up a stranger after hearing so many internet horror stories, I ventured over to Xanga, a weblog community, to investigate someone’s internet persona.
I found myself at the weblog of Julie Ann. It seemed fortuitous that her last post had been such a momentous one- I could not have found an entry more revealing of her life if I had tried. In her post titled “Hearing Sounds for the First Time,” Julie Ann started out by gushing all the emotions she was feeling: her first line was “What a crazy, weird, awesome, stunning, shocking, shaky, wild, insane experience!” She was describing her recent experience transforming from a person who has been deaf all of her life, to one who would be able to hear due to new CI technology.
From her post, I could exact that she was extremely open, in that she not only shared such a personal, meaningful experience with the blogging world, but she included pictures of herself in the doctor’s office, hearing her mother say “I love you” for the first time, her children’s first day of school, and her husband. Through her explanation of why she chose her mother to be the first one’s voice she would hear, I could gather that she is very conscientious, in her rationale that her mother deserved the honor since she birthed Julie Ann, was the only one to fully learn to cue, and trained Julie Ann to speak throughout her life. It was also evident that she is agreeable in that she is extremely grateful for the gifts given to her, and seems to be in love with life. In her “about me” section, she describes herself as “a deaf Christian Mom…to my four beautiful children and being a loving wife to my dear husband Bill. I homeschool my daughter Clarissa. Photography is a passion of mine. I love writing poetry, reading, biking, spending time with my family and doing things with them. Being with friends and having fun. I enjoy…meeting new people, and most of all, serving my savior, Jesus Christ.” Also, upon receiving a musical card from her friend, she cried for joy.
Since Julie Ann is so open and forthright with her emotions and pictures of her life, I find it hard to believe that she would selectively self- present (at least consciously). In her blog, everything seems to come out in a stream-of-consciousness sort of way. For example, in later posts, she even lists every dollar of savings she earns and what it goes to buying, and most of her activities for a given day. Through her pictures I can pick up on nonverbal cues such as her facial expression and how she interacts with her family. I can also read into her emotions through her use of formatting (more emotionally charged lines seem to increase in font size). Although it is hard for me to situationally observe Julie Ann, since only her home life seems to be presented in this blog, I feel based on the little information I have gleaned, I have formed strong impressions of this woman as a caring, joyful, fun mother. The intensity and lack of breadth of this judgment would support the Hyperpersonal theory of impression formation.
1 comment:
Christina,
First of all, I totally understand your feelings on chat rooms. I was in one for about 2 minutes before feeling extremely uncomfortable and deciding to leave.
Second, I think the blog you found was really amazing. This woman has obviously gone through a lot of trials in her life and now she has triumphed. It is neat that technology can bond people all over the world. Five years ago we would not have been able to share in this woman's happiness. You did a very nice job relating Julie Ann's entry to the theories we have been discussing in class.
I think it would be interesting to continue following her posts to see how your views of Julie Ann change/become more intense. As she posts on different topics perhaps your breadth will also increase.
Post a Comment