Topic 3: Reflection

 

   My Discussions:   

I discussed this matter further with Tewsdae, who mentioned that people used online identities in the past to detach themselves from real life. At first, I didn’t agree, but upon discussion she pointed out a blogger who posts a more “unfiltered” reality on motherhood. Though this is not complete escapism, it made me realise that people can still use a single identity to express views online which they may not necessarily share as freely offline.

In addition, Tewsdae questioned whether I felt sharing less flattering content online is inauthentic. While I explained in my comment I do not think this contributes to inauthenticity, it made me reflect on my blog and the advantages I had included about single identities; previously I said a single identity can appear more authentic. But if you can hide unflattering content, how does this make such an identity any more authentic than using multiple identities?

Although I have learnt that the question of authenticity is far more complex than it seems, I also think that the line which separates identities, such as single and multiple, is blurred based on the content you share and how you share it. However, when tackling issues that affect all types of identities, such as cyber bullying and identity theft, we should focus more at how to stop and prevent it so that all identities can be seen as equally beneficial to use. Iarina helped me develop this thought when she pointed out the tragic case of Amanda Todd and how many social media platforms now combat such issues; Facebook and Instagram (which are mainly used for a single identity) have a system so one can report spamming and misbehaviour, while Reddit (which can be used as part of multiple identities) uses moderators to counteract harassment and propaganda. 

Word count: 300

My comment on Tewsdae’s blog

My comment on Iarina’s blog

References:

• Klimmt, C. (2015). Escapism, The Concise Encyclopedia of Communication, Available at: http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/tocnode?id=g9781118789308_chunk_g97811187893088_ss1-17
• Truong, K. (2017). This Mom Made a Powerful Point About Motherhood on Social Media vs Real Life, Refinery29.com, Available at: https://www.refinery29.com/2017/02/141897/mom-blogger-instagram-reality?bucketed=false&bucketing_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.uk%2F
• BBC News, (2017). Amanda Todd case: Accused Dutch man jailed for cyber-bullying, bbc.co.uk, Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39295474
• The Guardian, (2015). Reddit announces anti-harassment policy in attempt to curb cyber-bullying, theguardian.com, Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/14/reddit-anti-harassment-policy-cyberbullying
• Browne, R. (2018). Reddit bans nearly 1,000 accounts linked to Russian ‘troll farm’, cnbc.com, Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/reddit-bans-accounts-linked-to-russia-internet-research-agency.html

Topic 3: Online Identities – Multiple, Single & Anonymous

Maintaining an online identity/identities has become increasingly popular in our everyday lives. Whether it’s for professional or personal purposes, the benefits of a digital profile allows us to be accessible to others more easily and conveniently than we can manage offline (Costa, C. & Torres, R. 2011).

But what type of online identities are there and which is the most beneficial?

Exploring MOOC, I came across three main identities and the advantages and disadvantages of using them:

Reference: FutureLearn (2018)  Created using Piktochart by Yusra Huque-Dowlet

Although all 3 forms have multiple pros and cons, it is still debatable which one tips the scale on being the most beneficial. Sheryl Sandberg argues that authenticity  is heavily valued among our society, especially on social media sites such as Facebook (Krotoski, A. 2012).

“A single public identity that’s an aggregated version of their offline past, the online present and their combined future” – Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook’s chief operating officer)

Though others, such as Andrew Lewman (executive director of the Tor Project) and Christian Poole (creator of 4Chan), disagree that singularity aids authenticity but rather, restricts it. Their argument being that we are “multi faceted individuals” and the ability to control your online privacy, using multiple identities or remaining anonymous, gives users the freedom to creatively self express themselves  without the fear of judgement from others (Krotoski, A. 2012).

However, it is possible that authenticity can’t be based purely by the amount of identities you possess online- besides, how much of our online identities actually reflects us offline? Ramona Pringle explores this thought in the video below:

But, similar to choosing a pet or which car to buy, decisions can vary depending on the person. Therefore, two main macro areas must be taken into account when deciding which identity is the best one for you – presentation and reputation (Costa, C. & Torres, R. 2011).

Reference: Costa, C. & Torres, R. (2011) Created using Piktochart by Yusra Huque-Dowlet

 

Created using Piktochart by Yusra Huque-Dowlet

 

Uploaded by Laura Collinton Available at: http://6iee.com/394799.html

Created using Piktochart by Yusra Huque-Dowlet

 

 

 

 

 

Uploaded by Diana Cook Available at: https://www.thehrdigest.com/pros-and-cons-of-having-multiple-jobs/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Word count: 294

References:

• Costa, C. & Torres, R. (2011). To be or not to be, the importance of Digital Identity in the networked society, Available at: http://eft.educom.pt/index.php/eft/article/view/216/126 [Accessed 22 Apr. 2018]
• Krotoski, A. (2012). Online identity: is authenticity or anonymity more important?. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/apr/19/online-identity-authenticity-anonymity [Accessed 22 Apr. 2018]
• Pringle, R. (2012). Identity: Are you the Same Person Online & Offline?. Rdigitallife. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10K137WU9gw [Accessed 22 Apr. 2018]
• FutureLearn (2018) What is your network identity? – Learning in the Network Age. University of Southampton. Available at: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/learning-network-age/4/steps/303357 [Accessed 22 Apr. 2018]