In an academic forum, such as this class, I believe it easier to identify with in individual concept of "self" as well as getting to know your classmates. While I was trying to plan out my assignment for this week I came to the conclusion that there are obvious pros and cons to each side of the argument - like there is for almost every argument. My first impression when attending a traditional class is based on physical appearance (mostly) and any class participation that one may contribute. My first impression that I can make through a blog for an online course is based solely on the words I choose to type. There is a type of anonymity of an online course that allows us, as students, to either be our true "selves" or be how we would like to be perceived. We all posted an introduction post and an about me section, but who is verifying those? I could be opposite of my introduction in every aspect but that does not matter because my words I am typing are consistently the same. Having that veil of anonymity feels like having a safety net - so instead of lying about who I am, I post complete truths and because I do not have to deal with the consequences of face-to-face interaction, I feel more obliged to be utterly honest and unguarded with my opinions. Gergen describes the apprehensiveness of ourselves as a type of self-doubt (54-58). Online academics has not been around for a very long time but since it's beginning is has allowed students to stop their own self-doubt and write freely. Because of this new-found willingness to express myself truly, I believe it is easier to identify with my "self".

    Knowing my "self" through this online medium is entirely different from knowing my classmates. On one side of the fence, online academics allows students to be just a group of students; no judgment of physical appearances, no pre-described notions of what our class ought to be. Beedles labels the Internet, "a truly democratic medium" (10), but I am not so sure I agree. This "no judgment" attitude can be helpful but it can also backfire. For example, if a deaf student were to participate in an online course they would be treated 100% equally, where as in a traditional classroom their learning may be obstructed by their disability. But is there truly no judgment in an online class such as this? I went through and read most of the introduction blog posts just to get a feel for the other types of students in this class - does that allow me to pass judgment based on the pictures they posted versus what they did not post? The cynical side of my personality cannot dismiss the fact that judgment is still being passed even if there are only words to be read.

    I do agree with Gergen - that by participating in an online or forum like this - that we are contributing to a "dissolution of self". Participating in an online academic class allows me to contort the "self" image that everyone reads about and this can lead to my own distortion of self. I think students are walking a fine line in online communities - where are true selves can either flourish or be lost in the masses of online identities.

Works Cited

Gergen, Kenneth. “The Dissolution of Self.” Academic Communities/Disciplinary Conventions. Ed. Bonnie Beedles and Michael Petracca. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2001. 50-58.

P.S. I could not get my Works Cited to be formatted correctly, I tried multiple times. I'm sorry.