December 12, 2017
Literature, Gothic Doubles and Facebook
Literature – and the Gothic in particular – is my field of expertise. Facebook and social media might be yours. But to the question “what is common between a Gothic double and Facebook”, you might think: “Nothing”. Then, you might start wondering whether I’m referring to some cat photo. After all, doesn’t that account for probably half of all Facebook photos posted?
In actual fact, I’m having something far more intricate in mind.
What Is a Double in Gothic Literature?
Let’s first talk a bit about Gothic doubles. In literature, Gothic doubles are a pair of characters in a work of Gothic fiction (a novel, a movie, a video game) that are in some way connected. There are two options here: i) these two characters are very similar to each other; ii) these two characters are the exact opposite of each other. Even then, however, through the absolute nature of their contrast, our attention is drawn to the two of them as a dialectical pair. Of course, we often have cases in which the Gothic doubles are neither entirely similar nor exact opposites, a fact which underlines the tension inherent in the Gothic mode.
Here is a short list of some classic examples. The first three belong to traditional Gothic literature, the fourth to something less traditional:
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (perhaps the most famous one)
- Victor Frankenstein and his creation
- Lucy and Mina (in Dracula)
- Mulder and Scully
Now, what sometimes happens is that a double becomes a doppelgänger; a replica so close to the original that it begins to overlap with it. Suddenly, the life of the replica and the life of the original begin to merge. For the environment, it becomes increasingly more difficult to separate the replica from the original. More often than not (for reasons of dramatic tension), a replica displaces the original who then is believed to be the replica! There are quite a few of examples of that kind in science fiction, with an alien form possessing a human body, pretending to be the original while the actual human struggles to prove she is real.
But what do all that have to do with… Facebook?
What is a Digital Double?
I don’t know if you take the security of your online presence seriously enough, but you should. Depending on where you live, here is a partial list of the things your online presence is not only existent (such as social media) but even required:
- Taxation
- Banking
- Healthcare Services
- Voting Registry
And let’s not count the endless social media sites you have uploaded your photos, your birthday, your social security number, your biggest secrets.
Now, assume that someone decides to take over your identity. It’s far easier than you think, especially if you’re not taking online security seriously. That is, if your password is 12345, or you don’t use two-step authentication. That someone would become your digital Gothic double.
What Would the Digital Double Do?
Ask yourself, what could you do if someone took over all your social media accounts or all your email accounts? What could you do if they then proceeded to get access to your taxation, healthcare information, and banking? As far as society and the authorities were concerned, you would be the replica, not someone who possesses all your valid data and cross-site verification.
Our obsession with numbers is one of the bizarre repercussions of modern technology and the digital transformation of our lives. As a result, it is only fitting that our possible demise comes in the form of 0s and 1s, meaning the bits of information making up the digital landscape.
In literature and the Gothic, the replica is often destroyed through physical action, that is, a stake through the heart, or a silver bullet. The monster must be destroyed, the status quo must be maintained. But in our times, it’s not important whether the “real” you or the “other” you survive.
Good luck in the abstract, digital, brave new world!
One Comment
Comments are closed for posts older than 90 days
I always think of the picture of Dorian Gray the most horrific example of gothic doubles. True horror is plausible that we can imagine in reality – the evolving decomposition of beauty and pride, that no attempt to arrest it can ever succeed