Avatar

As I created my avatar, I found it odd to be making an online "me". What is the purpose of making a digital character that doesn't have the capability to do anything? I assumed my avatar would be created then forgotten. As I continued to think about my avatar, I realized that I have already created and developed a digital identity through my online activity. I began to wonder, is there a disconnection between my avatar self and my physical self? I want my avatar to be a representation of my physical self, but not to replace my identity. As our society becomes more and more enthralled in digital realities and avatars, it is as if our experience begins to lose out. An avatar cannot experience things like humans can in face to face activity. The avatar is much more disconnected and has limited feelings and outlets to express emotion. I think that people attempt to make their avatar much more "alive" than it should be. They become preoccupied with developing an online reality and forget about the real one in which they live in. In that case, the physical self and the avatar self become one, making it difficult to discern what is real and what isn't.

The Sartorialist

The Sartorialist is a fashion and photography blog started by a man who is active in the fashion industry. He originally started the blog to share photos of stylish people on the streets of New York but over the years he has expanded his blog to capturing beautiful photographs of people around the world. The photos are posted along with a headline, which states where the photo was taken and the subject of the blog post. The Sartorialist has a unique and exquisite taste for good style. He is able to capture not only the garments on the people but a sense of their personalities. One of the things I love about the Sartorialist is that the photos taken are of ordinary, middle class people who know how to dress well. It affirms that you don’t have to be rich to be stylish. Art is an extension of your personality and the freedom is yours to explore and take risks.

I think one of the reasons this blog has been so successful is that it has a subject that people are interested in. It allows people to comment on each blog post, which creates an online community. The Sartorialist is able to share his experiences in Paris, Milan, Florence, New York—all beautiful places that many people don’t have the opportunity to visit. Through photos the viewer is offered tastes of various foreign cultures, which becomes wonderful and exciting experience that takes place every time you check the blog page.