Keyhole Theory and New Media

I've been thinking alot lately about the Keyhole Theory , and the way it applies to New Media, and our world today. Ever since my brother let me listen to a podacast from one of his philosophy professors in Australia, I've been thinking about this concept. Basically Keyhole Theory states that: once you know that someone else is around and watching you, you can never act the same way you did when you thought you were alone.

You know the feeling, and the best example I can give is: say you're in your car, and your song comes on the radio, boom...your dancing grooving singing, having a damn good time, all by yourself cruising down the freeway, completely oblivious to whether or not anyone is even looking at you. But then you come to a stoplight at a crowded intersection, and you notice some people in their cars, staring at you, rocking out. Your behavior immediately changes, whether you know it or not. Now you are not just jammin cause you love the groove, now (if you haven't stopped out of embarassment) you are jamming out and thinking about what the other peole are thinking of you.

So, if you take that theory and apply it to new media, to social networks in particular, then I think we have an interesting subject to study. Because here we are, we're on a social network, and we know that people are going to be looking at our profiles, our thoughts and ideas (at least they have the potential to do so), how does that effect the way we act on these sites?

My point is, knowing people, or thinking that people are watching, are we being who we really are? Are we being our true selves, and acting naturally? The answer is probably no, but this brings up another question. Since there are now so many social networks, and virtual worlds, with different types of people generally using each network, and with indiviuals using each network for various purposes, we have the potential to be many different versions of ourselves at the same time. How does this affect our own self-view?

For example the way we write and the pictures we post on Facebook, may be completely different than the pics we post on Myspace, or Adgabber, because we feel there is a different audience, and we may be using each site for different reasons...to network, to keep up with old friens, etc.. But the point is we are thinking about what other people are thinking about us. So now technology has brought us to this placce where we can be many different versions of the same person ( on-line you can even pretend to be completely different people) the person you "Are" on Facebook may be totally different than the image you portray on Myspace or in Second Life.

So have social networks and virtual worlds, more than anything else blurred our own personal views of identity? Have they allowed us to explore more possiblities for people we might want to be? Or have they made us even more self-aware of being watched, taking voyeurism to another level, and completely impairing our ability to be our true selves or to know who we really are, because we are always thinking about what those reading and watching us will be thinking of us.

I haven't even begun to apply the Long-tail to this idea, I mean the content we are putting out there has the potential to be there forever, which means now we are also thinking about what people tomorrow, and ten years from tomorrow will think about us. Does this help make us better or does it make us less free to be...who we really are?