Department of English

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Identity and representation on the internet
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2001-12) Brendel, Claudia; Nuttall, S.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of English.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates the ways in which identity is established and represented on the Internet. Through detailed case studies of different Internet sites, I examine the changing parameters of these concepts, and indeed of our concept of 'reality' itself. I then undertake a detailed reading of a number of films that represent the Internet as an integral part of their narrative. I make use, but also critique, postmodern understandings of identity and representation. Existing postmodern theories of identity and representation cannot fully account for the way Internet identity functions and the Internet interacts with other media and offline life. New analyses are required to explain the interactions between these concepts. This thesis uses the constructs of presence, performance, the body, and narrative to describe the way in which identity and representation function online, are represented in film and influence offline life.