People | Graduate Students

Peter Blank

Information:
Department of Telecommunications
blankp 'at' indiana 'dot' edu

Biography:

I am interested in social identity research on different digital profiles (network profiles, userIDs, game avatars, customer profiles), which may reveal new perspectives on how humans in the mediated environments perform their media content. In Bloomington, I have worked with a reality model, the quadrants of which represent Matrix (collective-closed), Wikiality (collective-open), Truman Delusion (individual-open) and Panopticon (individual-closed), to design my thesis work around. I am also an enthusiastic promoter of the DEFA Foundation's East-German pre-transition film legacy and was able to explore this on Bloomington campus. I try to maintain an open and self-aware view on the scientific endeavor within a mediated existence and to learn from different and historical ways of thinking. Prior to researching social media identities, I mostly worked as a German language teacher and analyst of editorial coverage and evaluating media strategies. I enjoy seeing friends, good food and wine, and a regular ultimate frisbee, soccer and kickball game.