Digital media shifted reproduction from copies of things to self-production as copies

Evidence

If mechanics introduced people to the pleasure of transforming authenticity through reproduction, digital technologies afford us the opportunity to produce and distribute ourselves as copies. In the mechanical age, the man wearing a striped shirt in New York marvels that someone in Japan is commenting on his clothing. In the digital age, he engages with the person viewing him at a distance, annotating his self-presentation in order to allow himself to be more fully known. — Theresa M. Senft, Camgirls, 70

Categorization

• DEFINE: Contrasts mechanical-era reproduction of objects with digital self-production, sharpening what’s new about networked selfhood.
• XREF: Echoes Benjamin’s aura essay and McLuhan, tying them to networked identity — connects to discussions of celebrity and self-branding.