as i create this page, as i begin to express myself through this completely new and different medium, i can't help but feel like i'm compartmentalizing my life. a page for academics, a page for fun, a page for travel, a page for interests...all without a common thread other than my name. is this an adequate representation of myself?

at this point in web-design, where i've only developed a few small sites, i feel over-represented by what's on my pages, and underrepresented by what isn't. if i only present three fragments of my self, are those three compartments the most important parts of me? am i completely represented by the small number of things i choose to put on the internet?

does my personality exceed its internet representation?

of course, i am more of a person than i could squeeze into this tiny piece of virtual space, and i don't believe that any individual's complexity could ever be illustrated through the internet. but does that stop people from trying? web sites created by swarthmore students justin hall, maya seligman, and chris fanjul are vast, extensive networks of highly personal material. for them, the internet seems to be a sort of device for communication; a vehicle that facilitates expression; a means by which full self-projection and subsequent self-discovery can be met. but in actuality, can an internet portrait of the self ever be complete? at my last check, chris had "abandoned the web as a tool to search for meaning," perhaps realizing that complete self-expression is not possible through any medium. even today's physical world can sometimes feel stifling.

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