MFA Thesis by Meg Sheeley

I want to explore the relationship of personal histories and self identity within the rise of the information age. From the traditional family tree to the virtual world of the internet, our methods of self identity have changed through the social revolution of the internet and its networking sites. I want to examine the question of how history will see our generation and the vast difference in how the past and the present perceives self identity and leaving their mark on the world. Once the information is collected, what becomes important? We value the sacred, the one piece of information that has lasted generations to connect us to the past, but future generations will have to sift through pages upon pages of profiles which are saturated with information about our lives. Is the concept of genealogy as we know it obsolete? By understanding these relationships better, the world of communication design and graphic design will be empowered with a grasp on how self identity has transformed, and therefore design for our target audiences more appropriately.

RESEARCH SCOPE:
My research will be divided into three parts. The first part will be research into the methods and types of ways our culture has developed traditional self-identiy marks in the past. These marks include keeping detailed family histories, and therefore self-identifying through family and the connection to past, to personal achievements which the author hopes will be remembered forever, like art and architecture or scientific discovery. I want to research the philosophy behind these actions and how they have transformed into modern forms. By breaking down 2 or 3 of these forms and their modern counterparts, I can start to explore the philosophy behind their transformation.

The second part will be research aimed at understanding the current world of constant updating and revising of profiles and personal statuses via twitter, facebook and blogs. This will include primary research to understand the current feelings about the internet and it’s role in society and our understanding of self. I want to not only interview those who participate in the whole virtual experience with social media sites, but with their peers who have decided to stay away from these methods of communication and why.

The third part will be an analysis of how the past and the present differ. We have seen a burst of genealogy research via the internet within the past ten years. This shows us that the information age has changed not only how we see ourselves, but how we wish to explore the past in the same great detail that society today understands self identity. I want the third and final aspect of my research to delve into the philosophy behind the social change. I plan to research the philosophy of the collection of data, through books such as Everything Is Miscellaneous, by David Weinberger which looks into the way that our thirst for information, and constant exploration for new and re-categorizing of the information everything loses its meaning.

DELIVERABLES:
For my deliverables, I want to express the visual relationship between history and individuals, and how over time our need and want for these relationships to be clearer has changed. I expect that the ways in which our intentions for record keeping will be explored through the different methods of visual gene