"The imperative to self-knowledge has always been at the heart of philosophical inquiry," wrote MIT professor Sherry Turkle in the insightful book about the web and the self, Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet. Published in 1995 as the second part of a trilogy that examined our relationships with technology, it looked at how we are who we are in online spaces. And what that means for us offline.
The good news is that the results are positive: "Play has always been an important aspect of our individual efforts to build identity," she said, referencing developmental psychologist Erik Erikson, and nodding to the theories of psychoanalysts Freud, Lacan and Jung. "In terms of our views of the self," she wrote, "new images of multiplicity, heterogeneity, flexibility, and fragmentation dominate current thinking about human identity. "
At the time Life on the Screen was released, most of the visitors were college students and their professors from a remarkably small talent pool, and a surprisingly small geography. They were tech-savvy, and generically open-minded about the new fields of virtual exploration that lay within the networks of this new communication platform. They were, in other words, liberal, enlightened types who were more willing to embrace the unprecedented fluidity of self-expression that this new technology uniquely afforded.
As a psychoanalyst and a web user herself, Turkle spent much of the book explaining why the articulation of multiple personalities wasn’t pathological. Contrary to its Latin root, identity need not mean "the same", she argued. "No one aspect can be claimed as the absolute, true self", she wrote, maintaining that the web allowed us the opportunity to get to know our "inner diversity". In the great psychoanalytic tradition, she said that self-actualisation meant coming to terms with who we are, and integrating each aspect of it into a coherent and well-integrated us.
Almost everyone has experienced this kind of identity play. Even if you’ve never ventured into an online game or been a signed-up member of a web community, you’ve probably developed a profile for a social network, written a blog, styled a website, commented on an article. But things are different from the time when Turkle was writing Life on the Screen. Nowadays, our virtual social lives are increasingly integrated. with our offline social lives. The freedom of expression is curtailed by the threat of offline consequences from online actions. Today, your reputation offline is far more closely tied to your reputation online than before. In fact, our experience of contemporary identity online is disarmingly similar to offline.
However, I still subscribe to the old Turkle. Consequence-free online environments allow us to practise and play without fear of offline effect, and offer an extraordinary place to experience the fluidity of our selves: I can be anyone, even a dog. As Tom MacMaster found, there still are places online where this is possible.
According to the author, almost everyone has tried to()
A:sign up for an online game with a website B:change his lifestyle by networking with online visitors C:associate his online life with his of f line reputation D:construct an online identity in one way or another
If I( ) Mary’s reputation, I defend her reputation.
A:speak up for B:speak ill of C:speak well of D:speak well for
Passage Four
As the Beatles represent the most important English contribution to rock in the 1960’s, Bob Dylan is the most important American contributor. This is true in spite of the fact that he has never reached the top sale list of the record industry in the way the Beatles have.
Bob Dylan emerged from the popular folk movement during 1962 and 1963. His first two re cords, "Bob Dylan" and "the Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, "appeared in those years and established his national reputation. This reputation grew slowly, and was helped by his appearance around New York City and at college concerts. As early as 1962, Dylan became known for the quality and quantity of his song-writing. And Dylan’ s material has reflected a social awareness and has always involved pro test against injustice. It has aroused a broad trend of similar songs in the present-day market. These elements, in combination with Dylan’ s particular sound, have made him one of the most remarkable figures in the history of rock.
In his songs, Bob Dylan showed his concern about ()
A:social problems B:folk movement C:New York City D:his national reputation
Passage Four As the Beatles represent the most important English contribution to rock in the 1960’s, Bob Dylan is the most important American contributor. This is true in spite of the fact that he has never reached the top sale list of the record industry in the way the Beatles have. Bob Dylan emerged from the popular folk movement during 1962 and 1963. His first two re cords, "Bob Dylan" and "the Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, "appeared in those years and established his national reputation. This reputation grew slowly, and was helped by his appearance around New York City and at college concerts. As early as 1962, Dylan became known for the quality and quantity of his song-writing. And Dylan’ s material has reflected a social awareness and has always involved pro test against injustice. It has aroused a broad trend of similar songs in the present-day market. These elements, in combination with Dylan’ s particular sound, have made him one of the most remarkable figures in the history of rock.
In his songs, Bob Dylan showed his concern about ()
A:social problems B:folk movement C:New York City D:his national reputation
The restaurant has a good reputation.( )
A:system B:name C:relation D:leadership
The restaurant has a good reputation.
A:system B:name C:relation D:leadership
This company used to enjoy international reputation, ( )
A:doesn't it B:does it C:didn't it D:used it
This company used to enjoy international reputation, ()
A:doesn't it B:does it C:didn't it D:used it
This company used to enjoy international reputation, ( )
A:doesn't it B:does it C:didn't it D:used it