Workshop Four: Menu driven Identities

2. These profiles emphasis the ‘hard’ facts about someone, a photo, their age, location, height/weight, ethnic background and smoking and drinking habits. There’s only a brief quote at the top, to give the reader any indication whatsoever of the personality of the person behind the profile, the rest is purely someone’s physical characteristics as if that’s all that matters for both the reader and all the user who made the profile, when they are looking for a date. Despite being an online dating service, Lavalife still treat physical prowess as singles’ priority, with more abstract concerns (such as personality) that are difficult to place into a drop-down menu secondary.


4. While I’m not sure whether any of these websites are inherently racist, I do think that race is certainly a neglected issue. For example take Second life, its “default” avatars are severely restricted. I think this limitation, is more based on individuality in general, rather than racism in particular. SecondLife works on the basis that you have to buy or create your way to being an actual individual, rather then giving them to you, increasing the amount of time you will play, and your attachment to your characters, rather then a deliberate 'othering' of any minority group.