Virtual Identity

Escaping from who we actually are and our identity is common in our world. It seems like no one is happy with who they are, so they are always constantly changing. Now since we have the accessiblity to the virtual world, this is where we go to hide from reality and become someone different.

You can be whomever you want to be in the digital world, and few choose to be themsevles. So now we have two worlds, the real world where we already have a loss of an identity and a virtual world where identity means nothing. You can choose how you look like, down to your hair colour. You can decide how you want to act or whom you want to be friends with. Nervousness and shyness are now a thing of the past since you can hide behind the digital world and your avatar. No one will really know that you're actually you. So who are you?

Also with virtual reality, you can change at the snap of your fingers on who you look like. Every physical aspect of yourself can be altered within 5 minutes. You can be Tim one day and then become Joe on the other day. The possibilities are endless. There are no limitations.

Now what happens when this world becomes real for you? You can play piano, read, eat and sleep in this virtual world, but what about real life? Is playing a piano virtually the same as actually touching the piano and hearing the melody first hand? It's different and will never be the same, but with so many people already falling into this trap, it's not going to be long before virtual reality becomes actualy reality.

Striving for Nothing.

Our perception of beautiful was always flawed. There were only certain features that were considered beautiful by society and because of this, cosmetic surgery has become such a common procedure that everyone wants to have done.

Perfection is just a state of mind, it's not an attainable object. Yet so many people still strive for it. Yet cosmetic surgery is on the rise and will always be now. Our perception of beauty has changed like it does every season, and we sit here watching countless of humans run around trying to reach it.

With so many procedures done on a person, they become unrecognizable, especially with all the high-tech medical tools we have now (stem cells). Feeling like you look better than before gives you boost of confidence. It changes you. In other words, cosmetic surgery causes a chain effect. Not only does it change how you look like on the outside, it may change how you act. You might walk with a strut, head held high and beaming with confidence. It may make you look down upon others who just want to be normal. You don't act like how you did before. Now what if you change so much, look and personality wise that you don't recognize who you are anymore? What if no one knows who you originally started out as? That person is gone. That person doesn't exist anymore, only the new and "improved" you.

There's also procedures done with changing identities. It's common for people to change identities. It could be a fictional character or an icon that you would love to look like. They then go under the knife and come out as someone completely different. It's more than a nose job. You can be someone for one week and then change and be someone else. That's how quick and easy this procedure is. But if you keep on changing and changing your identity, can you become who you started out as? Can you keep going back?

Cosmetic surgery kills identity, kills your identity, making it impossible for your to become who you were orginially set out to be. Instead your just what you want to be.

2045

2045. Humans walk upon our humble earth, but are they still even considered humane? Identity is more than just a physical appearance, it's your memories and your personality. Each of these components are valued in the term, so what happens when you take away one or two? What happens if genetic alteration, cosmetic surgery and even virtual reality strips you of your identity. It happens subconsciously, and then we are left to stand, unknown of who we actually are. Media and society pushes this on to us, where our identities change from day to day, where our identity alters to the point of no return.

It's the death of identity. It's gone.

What is identity?

In this time period, some children aren't who they actually think they are. Parents now treat their own offspring, a human who should be seen as something precious and unique, as just a mere commodity. Genetic engineering allows these parents to do this horrendous task. They can pick out features, and characteristics of their children. Customizing handbags or shoes is the same as customizing your child. You can choose if she/he is going to be blue eyed, blonde and smart.

Now let's take a broader look at this situation. Similar features that are well liked will be seen on more and more children, while the parents who don't follow this trend will drecrease and decrease until the point where everyone is made to be the same.

It's when everyone walks around with the characteristics and features that just look the same that we begin to worry about our world. Who are we indiviually if we look alike? Our personalities and characterisitcs may differ, but when you look in the mirror and instead of seeing someone unique, you see the guy across the street. What then? Is our desire to be "perfect" so blurred that we would be willing to give up our identity for it? There's already a separation in society, where the humans who have been genetically altered separate themselves from us normal humans. The separation will be becoming deeper and deeper if this continues. Race discrimination is a thing of the past, instead discrimination of the "perfects" and "normals" are now at hand.

Is that what society wants? An age where everyone looks similar to each other, where almost none is unique and of they're own. An age where identity is no more.

Are we even considered humans if we are able to choose every aspect? Or are we just perceptions of our fantasies?