Abstract Connections

First I would like to point out to the reader - Food does not have a role in my virtual network, with the exception of consuming it, while in front of the computer screen strategising the next move. However, Kuttainen (2013) got me thinking, when she referred to a soccer mum as "somebody who loved cultivating her online presence". When we talk food, to cultivate is to raise or grow (plants), especially on a large scale for commercial purposes. Now I'm going to, for the purpose of this blog post, liken the cultivation of food crops to the cultivation of players who participate in online games, specifically their hunger for an online presence.  Referring to how the economic system coupled with individual choice result in both hunger and obesity Petel (2007), so too does this relate to the individual who has a strong desire or need for an online presence, or one who has already achieved an excessive accumulation of one.

Figure 1

If your still following this rather abstract notion of how cultivating an online presence can be related to food production, let's consider our digital diets. Atkins & Bowler (2001) explain, "Diets evolve through time in response to the changing circumstances of supply and demand" (p. 284). This is also true for those of us who at some point in our lives subsisted on a diet of online games. Just like a real diet, digital diets can be used to define the consumer, and shape the size of their online presence. Often a large and bloated presence is an indicator of over consumption.




References:

Atkins, P. J., & Bowler, I. R. (2001). Food in society: economy, culture, geography. London: Arnold.

Kuttainen, V. (2013). BA1002: Our space: Networks, narratives and the making of place. Lecture 7: Food networks. [YouTube video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBp0kLOUOiQ

Patel, R. (2007). Stuffed and starved: markets, power and the hidden battle for the world food system. Melbourne: Black Inc.

Image: 

Figure 1. (2012). Eat and obey [online image]. Retrieved from
http://copypasterepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/eat-obey.jpeg