How do you see yourself in your memories? Has Media effected this?
In our memories, we as individuals imagine how things took place in different ways. How different types of media, most importantly film and photography capture and portray these are interesting to observe. In my mind, there are three different types of remembering…
1. The Invisible Observer
Some people remember a scene as though they are an outsider looking in, an invisible person in the memory. They can view themselves in the time period the memory takes place. This is exemplified in Harry Potter when Harry goes back in time and lives through the memory as an invisible observer. Nobody can hear or see him but he experiences the memory firsthand, watching himself from that time period.
2. Memory of God
Others will remember certain memories as if they are watching the scene from above. They can see themselves the same way as they do as an “Invisible Observer”, but instead of being in the scene they are watching from a bird’s eye view. An example of this is a music video by Oren Lavie, in which the entire video is shot from the ceiling.
3. Traveling Back In Time
The last type of remembrance is when a person remembers a memory as if they were their present self experiencing the memory again. For instance if the memory is of yourself when you are 3 and you went exploring in a forest outside your grandparents house, you picture the memory in your mind as your 18 year old self re-experiencing the scene.
I find myself in a group that is different than all three of these. I seem to remember things from the point of view of a different person, someone who is not completely me but not completely unfamiliar. I can never envision what I look like in
my mind. In my memories, I am this other girl, but I remember in the same way I watch a film- as if through somebody else. I believe that media such as film and photography has influenced the way I remember.
These are three very interesting points you have made. I think its interesting how you connected all three of them to media, as well. As in the movies, sometimes I can relate so well to them that I feel like I was there, and therefor could possibly be placed in the “traveling back in time” category. Also, when I am watching a TV show that I would probably never be able to experience, I become an “Invisible Observer.” But is it what media you are viewing that puts you in that spot? Or how you perceive it? Sometimes with media, the producers of the media manipulate the shots and angles to make you feel like one of those categories, or perhaps a different one. A lot of the time, TV shows and movies try to put you into the category of “traveling back in time” or maybe you can add another category of “I was there” sort of thing. As in, the viewer can relate so well to the show/movie, that they feel like they were/are there. In shows such as Gossip Girl, although I do not live on the upper east side, attend lavish parties every week, and scurry away from the paparazzi, there are some relatable factors to the show (such as boy drama, friend issues, parents, school, normal teen stuff, etc.) which provokes me to continue watching it.