First post

I am a first year doctoral student in Chicago, IL struggling to click with a research interest. I thought starting a blog might help. I study communications, new media (like blogs!) in particular. I am struggling with my research interests because I am interested in so many things. I am wondering now if "new media" is even what I want to do anymore. But, chances are I will continue with it, especially if I can get into this blog here.

The title of my blog comes from Marshall McLuhan's book, Understanding media: The extensions of man (1964), in which, among other things, he suggests that media extend our senses...and I like to think, we use them to extend our selves. I don't like all of McLuhan's ideas, but I liked this one...especially if you think about what we now call "new media." We now use blogs, vlogs, podcasts, social networking sites, avatars, etc. to extend our selves and to reach many others across space.

I also think that we use these media to play with our identities. Assuming I keep this blog going, I will eventually put up pictures, link to other blogs/vlogs, news stories, websites, etc that I find interesting and/or that I may be associated with. As that information is revealed readers, if I have any, will be able to put some of the pieces together to understand my identity as will I be able to negotiate aspects of my own identity in this process. Identity is, after all, an ongoing process (as many scholars have noted...Frith, in particular).

What is the difference between self and identity? Good question. I haven't, yet, come across any literature that deals with this directly...but I imagine there is a lot and I just haven't found it yet. I would argue, without having any literature to back me up on it, that Self is internal or personal; it is what or how you interpret your own self. Identity is more external or public; it is both your self and it is also your associations and connections in the public realm that make up your identity. I could be totally off-base and maybe tomorrow I will come across something that proves me wrong. Grad school forces one to develop a "thick skin," as one of my professors put it. But, I think it's good to try out ideas and put them out there for criticism.

Anyway, these are some of my research interests and I'm hoping I can use this space to help me think through my ideas more and eventually figure out a dissertation idea! I also envision this blog as a space to mull over the whole Ph.D. student life and process.