Identification Narratives, Local Stories, and Virtual Communication

Abstract

In this article the author summarizes some conclusions drawn following her field research on narration and identity. Language itself is approached language itself as a guardian of ideas, structuring society, using humor as an integrative barrier. It is introduced the term identification narrative as crucial for understanding the self in the context of the community. The author briefly describes the cases of a popular local story that changed local oral practices and of a less popular local story that preserved local oral practices. She analyzes the natural transformations of local stories compared to their translations into the “language” of virtual communication. The author research the impact of new forms of communication on local cultures and how the narrative of the desired identity comes to replace the traditional social narrative of the self.