Social Media Usage in Lauren Oyler’s "Fake Accounts"

Reflecting on contemporary young generation’s social media behaviour

In the following term paper, I will investigate how the narrator’s usage of social media is portrayed in Lauren Oyler’s "Fake Accounts" and how that reflects on the social media behaviour of contemporary young generations in real life. Following this introductory chapter, I will present theoretical approaches on the topic of affect and social media in the second chapter. In addition to that, I will discuss how intertwined processes of online presence and identity creation work within the sphere of the digital world. In the last part of the second chapter, I will briefly reflect on social media influencers and to what extent their roles and performances on social networks differ from average users. The third chapter constitutes an analysis of Oyler’s novel "Fake Accounts", as a recent autofictional novel thematizing common issues such as social media usage of young adults, by analysing the novel in the light of the theoretical framework of affect and unaffectedness. I will briefly take a look at the genre of autofiction and investigate to what extent the inclusion of autobiographical elements poses an important factor in regard to the overall topic and my research question. Moreover, I will determine how identity creation and self-staging is performed by the narrator in "Fake Accounts" and how real-life social media behaviour on behalf of young generations is mirrored or even criticized.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• 1 INTRODUCTION
• 2 SOCIAL MEDIA AND AFFECT
  • 2.1 Affect theory
  • 2.2 Online Presence and Identity Creation
  • 2.3 Reflection on Influencers
• 3 LAUREN OYLER'S FAKE ACCOUNTS
  • 3.1 The Autofictional in Fake Accounts
  • 3.2 Affect and Social Media in Fake Accounts
• 4 CONCLUSION
• 5 LIST OF WORKS CITED

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This term paper aims to analyze the portrayal of social media usage in Lauren Oyler's novel "Fake Accounts" and explore how this reflects the social media behavior of contemporary young generations. The research seeks to understand the intersection of affect, identity, and self-presentation within the digital realm.

• The role of affect and its connection to social media usage
• Identity creation and self-presentation processes within online communities
• The influence of social media influencers and their impact on the digital landscape
• The relationship between autofiction and the portrayal of social media in contemporary literature
• The critical analysis of the social media behavior of young generations as presented in Oyler's novel

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

This introductory chapter provides a context for the term paper, highlighting the significance of social media in contemporary culture and the growing interest in its impact on young adults. The chapter outlines the research question and the structure of the paper, which will investigate the narrator's social media usage in "Fake Accounts" and its connection to real-life social media behavior.

The second chapter delves into theoretical approaches regarding affect and social media. It explores the concept of affect theory, emphasizing the importance of emotional and corporeal behavior in shaping social interactions and identity creation. This chapter also touches on the phenomenon of online presence and the role of social media influencers in shaping digital narratives.

The third chapter, focusing on Lauren Oyler's "Fake Accounts", examines the novel as an example of autofiction, where personal experiences are interwoven with fictional elements. It analyzes the novel through the lens of affect theory, exploring how social media usage influences the narrator's identity and self-presentation. The chapter delves into how the novel portrays the social media behavior of young generations and the potential critiques embedded within the narrative.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The key terms and concepts explored in this paper include social media, affect, identity creation, online presence, self-presentation, autofiction, and contemporary young generations. The analysis focuses on the interplay of these concepts in Lauren Oyler's novel "Fake Accounts" and its reflection on the contemporary digital landscape.

Details

• Hochschule: Universität Siegen (Fakultät 1)
• Veranstaltung: Epochen der Literatur-, Kultur- und Mediengeschichte
• Note: 1,7
• Autor: Esma Erkmen (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2022
• Seiten: 16
• Katalognummer: V1416778
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346967428
• ISBN (Buch): 9783346967435
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: lauren oyler fake accounts literature Literaturanalyse contemporary fiction contemporary modern women's literature woman feminism