Tuesday, October 14, 2008

self "becoming image"

Ulmer speaks of "becoming image" and the differencce between one's self and one's image much along the same lines as Lacan and his notion of looking into the mirror as a child. Ulmer though takes this thought farther and begins a conversation about "perfect self-presence" through self "becoming image. " This chain of thought amounts to autocommunication that allows one to see one's self seeing one's self which essentially is the meta-awareness of the act of seeing oneself.

This type of autocommunication I believe has been continually exploited by those who create and produce reality shows.

Through creating the image of reality by the lack of scripts and casting people who the target audience can relate to in one way or another, reality shows work to allow people to "watch themselves" in a role of "perfect self-presence" personified by the cast. This phenomenon then becomes a type of autocommunication...a narcisistic endeavour that allows one to participate in their own self "becoming image."

1 comment:

Curtis said...

Nicole, this is very interesting. Which reality shows would you say "succeed" most in this? Why?

How do prizes (i.e. $1 million if you lose the most weight, etc.) change the perception of this reality? Obviously, the autocommunication is limited for the viewer because there are aspects that *probably* would not happen in their own lives, thus creating a certain distance/disconnect between the show and the viewer. Thus, is reality tv more likely to influence autocommunication if no prize is involved?