Real Vs. Reel: Identity Fragmentation in the Age of Internet in Lockwood's No One is Talking About This

Abstract

This paper explores the conflict between real and reel identity in the hyper-digitized era, in the case of No One Is Talking About This by Lockwood. The study is based on the Turkle’s theory of the formation of online identities, as stated in her book, Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet (1995). It focuses on how internet culture is dismantling a collective sense of identity and imposing it with fragmented, performative online dependent identities. The structure presented by Turkle uncovers the life of Lockwood’s protagonist as it is situated in a surreal world where the construction of identity is guided by online platforms rather than the offline lived reality. The discontinuity of the consciousness created by the mobility of constant connections, immersion in platforms, and communication based on memes is reflected in the discontinuous form of narrative in the novel. Despite the fact that the existing scholarship has delved into the way Lockwood addresses the issue of the internet discourse and the language of social media, there is a need for an analytical work which directly places the text in the context of the theoretical paradigm of identity fragmentation as discussed by Turkle. This study addresses this gap by reconsidering the narrative of Lockwood using the identity model of Turkle to shed light on the heightened crisis of fragmentation amid digital culture and opens avenues for future researchers to analyse the chaos and absurdity associated with social media through fictional representations.