@alweyman
When looking at my Facebook page, the first thing that comes to mind is that there is no avatar to represent myself. I had thought that this type of virtual representation was only possible though games and other media where you controlled a user. However as Coleman says in his work, “it is often a graphical representation of a person with which one can interact in real time.” (Coleman pg.12) This made be think that maybe an avatar can be something not entirely visible? On Facebook, there is not avatar, however the pictures of you and other things on your wall hint as to who you are. The main purpose of an avatar is for others to see who they’re interacting with. (as well as a method of virtual movement in games and such.) The idea that media changes the user seems to lean on the notion that where there is a virtual world, there lie possibilities that may not otherwise be feasible in real life. For example, there is no way an inexperienced adult could handle a fully automatic artillery weapon without knowledge of how it works, reloading, etc. In the game however, the user can actually use their avatar and make them do the work, while all they are really doing is sending a command. This gives the user a sense of knowledge, as if they know in real life how to work the weapon. This changes the user and can help grow, yet also help scatter the minds of people