More Definitions (The Devil's in the Details)

Crazy Fractal by Criarpo on DeviantArt

I am revisiting some simple definitions and beating this topic into the ground while I am busy working on the annotated bibliography portion of my capstone this week. I may not tread much new ground below, but I am attempting to add some clarity to the topic of fractal identities. Now for some definitions ...

Identity (n.) - The quality or condition of being the same in substance, composition, nature, properties, or in particular qualities under consideration; absolute or essential sameness; oneness. (OED Online)

Fractal (n.) - A mathematically conceived curve such that any small part of it, enlarged, has the same statistical character as the original. (OED Online)

A natural phenomenon or a mathematical set that exhibits a repeating pattern that displays at every scale. (Wikipedia)

An object whose parts, at infinitely many levels of magnification, appear geometrically similar to the whole. (Freedictionary.com)

Fractal from the definitions given here implies infinity, recursion and repetition, and with those characteristics, multiplicity. As I apply the meaning of fractal in the concept of fractal identity, the definition is being used in a more figurative and loose sense.

When we go digital - be it avatars in videogames; profiles on dating sites; accounts on Facebook, Google, and news websites; and presences in multiple online venues in multiple formats - we spread and multiply ourselves fractally. Indeed, there is a root "sameness" or "oneness" that permeates these identities. There is a single analog identity at which we can point that gives rise to the multiple digital persona. However, it splinters, branches, and multiplies when it goes online. Some of these additional fractal identities are but a pale reflection of the root analog identity; others are radically different with the most tenuous of connections to the analog; and yet even others may be barely distinguishable with only the slightest of differences from the analog.

The fact of the matter is that when one goes online, one can create a multitude of identities, perhaps as many as computing power will allow (i.e., countless). Those identities can be both consciously created via manual methods (deliberate account creation) or automatic (e.g., bots), or they can arise when the owner or user isn't watching. For example, a person may set up a live chat service that inadvertantly projects the illusion of multiple identities. The interface is open to allowing multiple users to interact with the owner at once. In other words, it doesn't indicate if one person or a dozen are on at a time to address chat requests. It only says, "Please chat with me" or "Get help now!", but a visitor has no idea if there is one or more than one person present to answer queries.

With many live chat services, it is often only one person responsible for addressing queries. Here is where inadvertant, unconsciously made, or automatically produced multiple/fractal identities occurs. Multiple people may initiate multiple live chat sessions at once. Suddenly, the "manager" of a single analog persona finds him-/herself thrust into a situation of juggling multiple digital persona or presences. That person, consciously or not, can make each digital identity a different one from the analog identity or make each digital identity different from the next while still being rooted in the analog. Whatever the case, numerous (digital) identities come into being, each of them bearing no, little, and/or uncannily similar resemblance to the other(s).

In this example, fractal identities may be associated or better understood through the concept of multitasking. Multitasking in turn presents new challenges and, some might argue, abilities or affordances with respect to identity and personal well-being or satisfaction. I will address the issues that arise from multitasking in the future, primarily in the forthcoming annotated bibliography. For now, I will state that as the analog self with its own set of limitations attempts to manage fractal identities via the mose evident method possible - multitasking - demands are placed on it that generally lead to negative consequences. It's not surprise that multitasking, while so common and made possible through digital and online technologies, often affects the analog identity/self for the worse. Here we encounter Rushkoff's seemingly inevitable digiphrenia.

I do not wish to suggest or imply that multitasking and the phenomena of fractal identities only results in harm or negative consequences. While multitasking cannot be sustained by the analog self indefinitely, research shows that in certain circumstances it may lead to some good. I will bring that research to light in the coming bibliography. For the time being, fractal identities <-> digital identities <-> multiple identities <-> multitasking, to reduce this project to its crudest and most essential elements. Forthcoming posts and the bibliography shall address the implications of fractal identities for identity (analog), technology, and, essentially, the human condition.