Engaging with and Learning from Virtual Others: Coping with COVID-19 Through Art and Social Networks
摘要
In this chapter, the authors explore the results of interviews with two college-age women who were part of our larger DVLN study. Three themes are discussed, and the general trends and themes from the larger study provide a context for this discussion. The first theme is the construction of participants’ identities online. It was found that both participants constructed their digital identities to project confidence and professional standing. However, they acknowledged that they invented their online personae to be consistent with the positive, glowing self-portraits of others online, rather than offering more vulnerable portraits of themselves. Leakage as defined by Goffman (The presentation of self in everyday life. Anchor Books, New York, 1959), meaning the vicissitudes of impression management, became an issue. The second theme is about student digital learning. Both interviewees had positive experiences with teachers who exposed them to art and encouraged them to explore new media. Learning varied among in-person instruction, seeking online tutorials, and spontaneous peer learning. The last theme is the impact of COVID-19. Measures taken to control the pandemic impacted student learning and artistic development. Shelby and Morgan noted COVID-19’s impact on how they worked and their choice of subject matter. Shelby started out resisting references to COVID-19 but later reluctantly began to deal with COVID-19 as a theme. Morgan observed a change in her intended audience. She noted that, thanks to COVID-19, her artwork shifted from outer-directed to more introspective. Overall, the authors examine issues of identity, learning, and the effects of the pandemic at a seminal point in time.