Evolving stories of self: Informational transitions and tattoos

Abstract

Throughout history, tattoos have served as a means of expressing identity, culture, and preserving information. Beyond their visual appeal, tattoos continue to be used in the modern world as a way for individuals to showcase their identity, honor and remember others, and mark significant events. In this paper, we explore the connection between tattoos and life transitions from an informational perspective. We view tattoos and the act of tattooing as a complex process that involves cognitive, physical, and emotional interactions with information on both an individual and societal level. The information experience approach aligns with this holistic and multifaceted nature of interacting with information, and we have employed this approach to structure our study. The study is based on interviews with 23 participants in Aotearoa New Zealand and highlights how tattoos serve as forms of information and mediums for comprehending and navigating life transitions. The findings reveal the role of tattoos as initiators, enablers, and resolvers of transitions, and explain how transition is experienced through tattoos. This study contributes to the understanding of tattoos as informational transitions and provides insights into their role in addressing the dissonance experienced in life transitions.