NETWORKOUT online gym buff

Online Gym Buff functions as a critique of the situation in which one’s body image is completely separated from the physical body and dependent only on online social networking.

Online Gym Buff involved the creation of an application called Gym Buff that could be added by any Facebook user. The application consisted of a single button labeled "click for an insta-workout". When users clicked, the application automatically filled their status, profile, and newsfeed with phrases such as "_____ is at the gym", "_____ has just benched her body weight", "_____ is getting jacked". These updates would be propogated via the facebook newsfeed to all of the users friends.

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    • Online social networking culture provides a means to create a representation of self. Online Gym Buff questions the authenticity of these self representations, exploring a situation where the representation is a complete fabrication. How necessary is it for virtual representations to correspond to physical representations? If they differ, is one representation more “real” or accurate than the other?