Fictional Blogs

Sunday, March 11: Oh, it seems it was only a few short years ago that I sat in on a SXSWI panel on online confessionals. The agony and ecstasy of realizing different versions of one's self online was heady and scary, and freaky for those new to the concept. Today, we have LonelyGirl15 and the Plain Layne blog. Now, the question is not about if, but how, why, and by whom are online characters created. In other words, what is the range of the continuum between a lie on one end and good fiction on the other? What are the ethics of fictional blogs? These were a few issues addressed at the all too short panel led by Liz Henry of Social Text and Odin Soli of Aveso, Inc (aka Plain Layne).

As a writer, Soli took on the character of a 20-something year-old woman, seeking to immerse himself in a persona, not to create a hoax. He was the last to expect that his fictional Layne would draw so many readers. Some suspected early that Layne was not all that she said she was, but continued to participate in the fiction, while others were shocked to discover that Layne was not a young woman, but a 30-something year old man who. This was revealed one day when his face was splashed across his morning newspaper.

A hoax or a well conceived fiction? The jury is out, but Henry offered some thoughts on how to arrive at an ethics of fictional blogs. While fiction is essentially a lie, it is one that is bought in to and is consensual. The problem comes when the motive is only of benefit to the creator of the fiction, as in a company that wants to sell a product. Henry provided the example of an ad writer taking on the persona of a young kid, for example, to say how great a certain product is and how s/he wants it. This kind of flogging not only stinks but may be outlawed in Europe soon.

One thing is certain: online fictions, be they blogs or sites in the vein of LonelyGirl15 are moving into what Henry called the "science of play." Role playing, collaborative fictions, alternate fictions created in response to the original are proliferating, not diminishing because of the appearance of well executed fictions. More than that, the whole landscape is being shaped and re-shaped as we speak.