5. Love & Death (1 of 2)
That was about the narrative of spaces, now lets go back and talk about personas or avatars. Who are they, how do they change there identities from real life. Again not about fantasy or role playing but about expressing a persona, or real part of you. Purple Tears is Pam (who is in the bottom middle of the image) is a house wife with husband and kids in middle America. But as purple tears she is more open, outgoing, more wild.
So identity online is real as life, she has close friends that know her for two years as Purple Tears. Others are living out their particular personas. It begins to blur what is nonfiction and fiction. Fiction: the narrative of the persona, but a narrative that expresses a real person and a real part of that persons identity. Purple Tears has been “onLive” for over two years, she has friends, even relationship as Purple Tears. She is not playing a role, but is better expressing part of her. A part that is hard to express as a mom. Purple Tears is more like how Pam was when she was in her 20’s in Hawaii. More open and free. When they found out that one of the members of the community - cyberstar - had cancer, they took this picture as a get well card for her.