According to Baudrillard we no longer live in an object orientated world, but a world based on signs. One repercussion of this is that the utility of the things we purchase has become less important than what they portray about us. A great example of this is designer labels. The quality of the clothes themselves is largely irrelevant -- what is important is that by wearing such and such a label you are proclaiming your membership to a certain social group.

And these constructed facades aren't limited to our possessions. Throughout our daily lives we don many different personas depending on the situations we find ourselves in. A guy who acts macho in front of his friends may act sensitive and vulnerable when alone with his girlfriend. A woman applying for a job is not liable to act the same was as if she was at a party.

All this got me thinking about how the advent of the internet plays into all of this. This is a medium of social interaction that allows you complete freedom to construct/play new personas. The images below are a culmination of these contemplations. Each represents a website I frequent, and what persona I attempt to play (some have obviously been exaggerated). The text on top of the images is the relevant site's source code.

On a personal note, this was the first time I ever used text as an active/dominant part of my photographs. It was a great learning experience, and I think you can see a progression in the work (though it's not presented in chronological order). In no means do I consider this a complete portfolio, but it was a fun exploration. And hey, I came out with two or three images I like so that seems like a worth while investment.