Fragmentation of the Self, Digital Identity, and Alienation in Patricia Lockwood’s No One Is Talking About This

Abstract

This article focuses on the idea of the loss of self-identity in Patricia Lockwood’s No One Is Talking About This (2021) and the role of digital culture in the life of modern individuals. In the novel, there is a character whose life is greatly influenced by the online community, where there is an overwhelming presence of scrolling, memes, and viral posts. Through the character being deeply immersed in the ‘portal,’ Lockwood conveys the idea of the destruction of self, the creation of an empty self, and the dependence of the characteron the online community for identity. There is an instability in the mind of the character, reduced emotional capacity, and numbness in the body of the character because of too much scrolling. All these convey the negative impact of an individual being deeply immersed in the ‘portal.’ This article asserts that Lockwood critiques the superficial identity of the ‘portal,’ the dull life, and the impossibility of genuine emotional human connection in the ‘portal.a