For this weeks assignment I viewed the movie, You've Got Mail, in order to think about online identities. The movie's two main characters are played by Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. I have been asked to think about how the characters both portrayed themselves online and the interaction between the online personalities. In the movie Meg Ryan's character corresponds via email with an online companion who turns out to be Tom Hanks. In her emails Meg's character finds delight in being able to talk about anything with her online companion. She enjoys the anonimity of openly talking with her companion with no personal details. The online relationship progresses into talking and discussing issues that they are each facing in their family and work life. Meg's character mentions that she is happy that they converse openly without judging one another but they are like to lost friends discussing the world around them. This idea interested me most as a viewer and a student of Online Communication. The idea of sharing intimate decisions and debates with someone you have never met seems like it could have dangerous outcomes. However since we are watching a romantic comedy only one ending came about a romatic one. When the online conversation turns to work Tom Hank's character perks up and as he states, "I will role up my sleeves, and help you." It is clear that Tom Hank's character finds satisfaction in sharing his knowledge about business with Meg. In fact when the conversation turns he begins to find himself in love with his new friend. All the while the online relationship grows the pair begins a separate real life relationship which is quite different. When the characters meet in real life they do realize that it is the same person they have been corresponding with via email. This real life relationship is very different. In fact the two can't stand each other. The negative aspects of their personalities clash in the real world and both overlook the good things that they see in each other.
In the lens of studying Online Communication I find the story to be very relative to what we are learning. Both of the characters use their online personalities to portray the best parts/important parts of their own personality. When they finally meet in the real world both the good and bad parts of their personalities are shown. This is a very important thing to remember in communicating with someone you have never met online. The person on the other end no matter how well you think you know them can be a very different than you expect them to be. An online personality only portrays what you want others to see. Not many people mention their faults, problems, and issues online. The movie turns out with a happy ending for the couple because in discovering the truth about who they are communicating with online forces the couple to create a real life relationship as well. With both the good parts and the bad parts of their personality.
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Although I haven’t watched "You’ve Got Mail" recently, your blog made me laugh as I remembered the movie and how satirical it was in respect to the world of online dating, far before the generation of Facebook and MySpace. I think you made an excellent point in considering the danger of sharing intimate decisions and debates with someone you have never met in “real life”. It’s strange that people can be so willing to take advice from someone who [for all they know] could be a crazy person! The fact that once Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks met they couldn’t stand each other is also quite funny, and I do not think it applies only to the movie. Because people portray only what they want others to see in their online profiles, they rarely reveal any personality flaws, which are bound to come out once the individuals meet.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part about this movie is the part where after they are supposed to meet up and Kathleen thinks that Joe never shows and wants an explanation from him. She tells him she doesn't know why he didn't show up that day but that, "all these nothings mean so much more than so many somethings," meaning that event though they chat back and forth about school supplies and their pets, they connect so well that it means everything to the both of them. I agree that people do put their best foot forward when they create an online profile, but for them two it is an exception. They met randomly in a chat room that they both visited as a joke, and just showing that they both did that with the same intentions, proves their compatibility.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog I thought it outlined the movie and the points you were making showed very well. I was most drawn to the part in your blog about sharing personal things with people you have never met. Most people shy away from doing things like this, and I realize you pointed out that it is a comedy movie, but I do see where you were going with your comments on how scary it would be if this weren’t a movie.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your last few paragraphs. People can provide a completely slanted view of who they actually are. Sure, the whole situation can be pretty light-hearted when it comes to a dating situation in a romantic comedy... but what about online predators? This ability to control the way people perceive you can make for a dangerous situation. I had a friend, poor naive girl (she was 16 at the time), who decided to try and date people off of myspace. She thought she was dating a guy who was a friend of a friend (Candace). They broke up, and then she dated someone else online, who was also friend's with Candace. My friend sent them photos, had explicit conversations, etc. Anyways to make a long story short, both guys never existed, it turned out Candace had made up both profiles. When my friend's mom hired a private detective, a lot of this was figured out, the police were involved, and Candace was charged, and is now a sex offender, as she was 20 years old at the time.
ReplyDeleteI talked a little bit about it in my blog... but what if Meg Ryan was right when she guessed her online buddy had been a murderer or whatever, detained, and that's why he avoided their first meeting. Sure, You've Got Mail is a romantic comedy, but there are plenty of dangers to online romances... more than likely when you're talking to a total stranger he WON'T be Tom Hanks!!