Webcam identities split between staged characters and unedited everyday self

Evidence

As Kristie describes it, the EchoCam was a carefully controlled environment in which performances were staged for public viewing. In contrast, the VampCam was an unedited life cam that watched Kristie being a student or a film director and entertaining her lovers. Art began to bleed into life once Kristie wound up playing the role of Echo in her own film while working as an escort to pay bills. Still, in Kristie’s mind, Echo is a sexually glamorous character, whereas ArtVamp is an everyday person, and their homecams are designed to reflect as much. — Theresa M. Senft, Camgirls, 309

Categorization

• QUESTION: What breaks down when staged character and lived self converge — is the art/life distinction she insists on actually sustainable for viewers?
• XREF: connects to: Reality-ideology webcamming selects which intimacy to show rather than showing everything — Theresa M. Senft, Camgirls: Celebrity and Community in…, 270; Grainy low-tech webcams assert that people, not technology, make the network — Theresa M. Senft, Camgirls: Celebrity and Community in…, 304; The webcam has become an evocative object shaping how people think about identity — Theresa M. Senft, Camgirls: Celebrity and Community in…, 168 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Homecamming differs from reality TV in being unedited and uncontrived #qualifies (0.78) — Theresa M. Senft, Camgirls, 141
• Knowing a webcam broadcasts transforms bystanders into image-checking performers within minutes. #exemplifies (0.76) — Theresa M. Senft, Camgirls, 68
• Personal branding online creates performative doppelgangers demanding constant attention #exemplifies (0.73) — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, 32
• Commentary frames selfies as vernacular and private in contrast to self-portraits #qualifies (0.73) — Grant Bollmer, Katherine Guinness, The Influencer Factory, 81
• The webcam has become an evocative object shaping how people think about identity #expands (0.72) — Theresa M. Senft, Camgirls, 168
• Micro-celebrity authenticity rests on cross-platform consistency of self-presentation #complicates (0.72) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 284