30 August 2005

faking friends and influencing people

Inside my housemates head I build a picture, slowly, over time and our small encounters, of who I am. The question of who people think you are is interesting; you have no direct control over their mind and as such cannot necessarily dictate to them exactly who you are, but you can help them out towards a certain impression.

How are their perceptions of you created? Through conversations between the two of you, between themselves and others who know you, the way in which you dress, your tastes, the contexts in which the two of you encounter one another… this is in no way a definitive list; I am not a psychologist, I do not wish to write a thesis on the subject, nor am I interested in creating any definitive/objective/empirical model of the subject. Thoughts spill and splash around my head and sometimes I grab hold of them and imprison them in words. Most of the time I do not. A million ingenious concepts could of blossomed and perished in the temple of my skull. Sometimes I lie in bed and in silence recite eminem lyrics, a neurological photocopier, waiting for sleep.

The thought has come upon me for an experiment to deliberately attempt to create an image of myself ,in the mind of my housemate, that does not necessarily reflect any kind of actual reality but instead what I choose him to perceive… But I’m far too disorganised and lazy to do it. It’s the kind of thing that could lead to psychosis which, although something I wouldn’t mind experiencing, is probably not recommended at this particular point in my life.