Dollies and Social Networking: Fun, or Just Wrong?

Well, there's an entire social networking site solely for our doll's personalities, so plenty of BJD owners do just what your asking about.

I'm not weirded out by the concept at all. It's just another way to have fun with a character, and like you said, it adds another layer to them that wouldn't otherwise be there. Sure, some people would find it odd, but it's all in fun.

I, personally, wouldn't do it, but only becuase I'm hardly on social networking sites anyway.

 

There are many other doll owners who do this, look under the Links Out! section. Everyone has their dolls myspace/facebook/twitter/etc listed there. Personally, I dislike all of those sites, therefore neither my dolls or myself have them. I must say it does seem a bit strange to me, and I think it actually violates a few of the sites Terms of Service, but I don't care much either way. It doesn't effect me. People can do what they want with their dolls. My dolls just chill on Flickr where they're welcome by all~ I had a LiveJournal, but it was kind of hard to easily work with, I might go back to it someday though for photostories, since they're much easier to list there than on Flickr.

 

I wouldn't do it, but I can see the appeal it has for those that do.
But seriously, if I had a page like that and any one of my family members or friends or even just casual acquaintances found out about it I would be absolutely mortified. It's kind of dorky to the extreme.

 

I have a twitter for a character that my doll's going to represent. As I had the twitter before the doll, I doubt I'll take it down or anything. I'll admit it's dorky as heck, but in the LARP I'm in people go all out for In Character ljs, so I found this to be more of a challenge. It's also less time consuming.

 

Some people make websites for their new babies, & they write entirely from the infant's or toddler's or fetus's point of view.
Some people create whole blogs, homepages, MySpaces & LiveJournals for their PETS.

..... ....

So, why not dolls?

It's just as sane as anything else online.

 

I'm on "The BJD Network" a social networking site for dolls. Personally I find it fun but only because I am treating her as a doll and talking with other people doing the same.

Personally I find it weird if people create twitter, facebook, or myspace pages for their dolls. On these sites you could interact with other dolls but you could also interact with ppl thus confusing the boundaries of "human" and "thing". You could "friend" ppl on your site and to unsuspecting victims pretend to be someone that you are not. Then again ppl already lie all over the internet and pretend to be "things" that they are not. What's any differnt then. I just wouldn't want to "friend" someone I thought was a "person" only to find out i've really been chatting with a person who was role-playing.

The debate kinda makes me think of the woman who "pretended" to be a teenager and drove a teen to kill herself. It was a person misrepresenting herself on the internet.

I think as long as it is done maturely it would be ok to have dolls on social networking but me myself and I wouldn't do it.

 

I've created "character journals" on LiveJournal for role-playing characters. These accounts only interacted with other role-playing character journals from the same role-playing game.

I've no interest in doing it for my dolls (I'm no longer participating in that role-playing game, so I don't even keep up with the journal that is for a character I'm making a doll of xD) - but I don't think it's particularly "strange" as long as well... the line between fantasy and reality is kept pretty clear.

If your doll's account is going around leaving comments on non-doll strangers' profiles, that's... taking it a bit far.

 

I don't see the appeal personally, since I don't RP my doll characters (and in all honesty their characters are kind of loose- I base it on the appearance of the dolls and they don't really have incredibly deep personalities or backstories) but I don't know that I care enough to think of it as "wrong" either. It's just an extension of story-telling and role playing, and if that's what floats someone's boat then let them enjoy it.

At one point I did consider splitting off my livejournal so I'd have one journal for doll and lolita talk and one that was actually personal, but that's about as far as I'd go (and it would be me discussing and posting photos of the dolls, not role-playing AS them), and was mostly so that I could have an online hobby "identity" without spamming everyone with my talk about work, life, etc etc (and vice versa for my friends who don't care about my weird hobbies).

 

I know there's people who do this, but honestly, I don't have time or inclination to have a Facebook or Twitter page for myself, much less my dolls. There just aren't enough hours in the day for that sort of thing, in my mind.

Livejournal seems to be a popular site for folks to post doll photostories and occasionally when I had an active Livejournal I'd do a locked doll post, but as I don't normally photograph my dolls, do stories, etc. I didn't have much time for that either. Since that time my schedule has gotten busy to the point where I no longer have an active Livejournal so that's out too.

I wouldn't necessarily think someone was weird if they did these things but again, unless you're some kind of doll artist trying to build your business, I'd think you had an awful lot of time on your hands and thus we would have nothing in common, since I don't, myself.

 

If it helps develop the character of the doll better, and you don't go around expecting every last acquaintance of yours to play along, it's harmless fun. I've never done it for a doll before, but I have made "fake" facebook pages (and the like) for the entertainment of others. I guess I see doll pages as form of roleplay, and while I could never get into it, I don't really see anything wrong with it either.

As for the ToS on these sites restricting these sorts of pages, unless you're using a really obvious celebrity name, or you troll the forums, it's unlikely that the extra page(s) will be noticed.

 

When I entered a swap here at DoA my swap partner made a Facebook account for my doll, and as much as I can appreciate the amount of work that went into writing all sorts of posts and making up background info so the account wouldn't be empty when she sent it to me, I never used it. When family I never informed about the account (and I don't have a personal FB account) started to friend that account I deleted it, because I had no idea how they found it and I didn't want my colleagues and potential employers to catch on.
I felt sorry for the person who made the account and I think the idea of network site accounts for dolls can be fun, but it's not my thing.

 

I would have to agree.

 

Honestly, I got into the hobby when I found a forum thread on another unrelated, non-BJD forum insulting this very activity.

I guess I'm biased then. Since it did introduce me to BJDs. But it kinda left me with a bad feeling associated with this activity. (Sorry, I don't know how to better word this. So please don't get upset at my wording.)

I think that roleplaying is okay. And having some livejournal roleplay is okay when it's specified that's it's a roleplay journal. But making Myspace and Facebook accounts I think is taking it a bit far. It's really blurring the line between reality and roleplay to a degree that outsiders think you're serious and begin to question the sanity of those in the hobby.

I guess, in the end, enough people have gotten "That's creepy!" to really not care anymore. And people shouldn't care what others think of their hobbies. Regardless, the bad feeling associated with Myspace/Facebook-style "role-playing" has never really gone away for me, unfortunately.

 

I've got a Twitter account for my character who also happens to be a doll ... but again, it's for the character rather than his resin'd form, who I've had for much longer. I've got a lot of friends who do the same thing, whether it's through Twitter, LJ or otherwise.

I'm with JennyNemesis in saying that with all the people who dedicate entire sites to their pretty little kitty and that pretty little kitty's network of pretty kitty friends, indulging in a bit of social play-pretend is hardly the weirdest or creepiest thing you'll find out there in internet land.

Not to say that I don't agree with the opinion that it CAN get a little weird and too ... obessive or 'real', but there are much stranger things to be seen. Just remember that that quality certainly isn't restricted to doll owners. I've seen people with Facebook/MySpace/LJ/etc accounts for everything from their WoW characters to the epic lives of their gym socks.

 

It's definitely not my thing, that's for sure. If I ever made such a thing, it'd be more based on their characters than actually speaking as their doll... selves. But to each their own. It's not interfering or infringing on my artist rights, then I have no problem.

I've peered into the BJD networking community out of curiosity and because that's a community solely based on interacting with other dolls and no actual outside people I didn't see the harm but don't see myself ever joining.

Otherwise my only experience with people making Myspace-esque profiles have been when people would steal my doll photos and use them every which way they wanted, name them whatever character they wanted and bent their personalities which ever way they wanted. And they weren't actually doll owners. I feel that maybe, somehow, this kind of activity could promote this kind of art theft, at least beyond the Ning social network.

 

That's the problem with the internet, eh 8V Getting stuff stolen left and right by what is probably a 16 year old kid who surfs the net and has no knowledge of copyright infringements or respect for artist works. It's what makes me hesitant to put any of my work online, really.

Back OT though :\ I'm on the side where I wouldn't make a myspace page or whatever for my doll. Not only for the sake of preserving his "sacredness" [sorry, can't find another word for it] but imho it's ridiculous to me. I have neither the time nor desire to pour into such a page. It's kinda :\ really weird to me too. I'm not a fan of networking sites myself, but if I met someone who did it for their dolls and was not in the hobby, I'd admit I'd be a little taken aback. Not because it was creepy, but just because well.. to me, a doll is a doll is a doll is a gorgeous hunk of resin. I'm clear on the distinctions of their existences. They are not people to me. Just things that look like them.

My dolls are based on very serious characters of mine, which are close to my heart. They're not..er.. casual? Everyday? Plebeian?? Uh..I don't know, some word that describes such an attitude.. enough for those sorts of activities. Not only in their respective characters, but in my reverence of them as well. I don't think making a page for them on any networking site would lend weight to [or damage] their design; I'm already aware of their intricacies and after all, I made them.

Personally, I don't see the appeal, but I'm not against it for other people. 8V They can do as they like. I do feel though, that perhaps it perpetuates stereotypes which are unwanted for me.

 

Re sacredness/ everyday/ plebeian/ etc: I can't think of the word you're looking for either, Laelen, but I get exactly what you're driving at! To me, social networking is like living with your windows & curtains open to the whole world at all times.... I prefer to keep my dolls on doll-related sites. It's not that I don't think just any Internet slob passerby isn't worthy of looking at my dolls, it's just that I prefer to share them on a need-to-know basis, so to speak. With an appropriately like-minded target audience. I.e., I don't think Tila Tequila's fans need to be wandering around the same space as mine. ^~

I personally happen to despise social networks & don't do them myself, in the first place, so there's no way I'd bother with one for my dolls either. Moot point! But for those who are comfortable with that kind of constant worldwide scrutiny, go right ahead. It's no crazier than anything else out there.

 

I have a fun blog or two for my collection of dolls, and dollhouses, but it basically a blogspot. livejournal, not a twitter or facebook. On my facebook page I will post fun pics of the my doll with her laptop, and a caption like she's doing the work today...but not a facebook all her own. I can't keep up with my own FB page!lol...

Do I find it weird that people do this? No, not really. I have seen myspace and livejournals dedicated to from start to finish building a dollhouse, its family, characters, etc. I find it amusing and there it stops...