Topic #2: Reflection on Pros & Cons of having multiple identities

Reading through various posts on the debates of multiple identities triggered me to think again whether or not having multiple identities really benefits me.

For instance, as researched by Klarissa, 91% of recruiters nowadays screen through their potential candidate’s online profiles. We don’t want our company to view us as being ‘unprofessional’ in circumstances when we are enjoying our private life moment, like Stacy Snyder’s case shared in Sean’s post. Thus, having multiple identities help to avoid this situation and allow us to have a balance in our ‘personal-professional’ life.

However, it is noticeable that multiple identities are often questioned for its credibility. With the increasing usage of the internet and social medias (refer to the picture below), it is hard to avoid social influences on individual to show only their ‘best moment’ online. This links me back to Sean’s post saying that single identity helps to showcase one’s true-self. But question is, does single identity user on the net really showcasing their true-self too?

Personally, owning multiple identities allow me to express myself more freely and be who I want to be on different platforms. Nonetheless, one should not abuse the usage of these identities for the wrong reason. Like what mentioned by Klarissa, anonymity might cause potential threats such as cyber-bullying due to misuse of freedom of speech. Below shows a video on how wrong usage of online identities can cause serious consequences.

Although having multiple identities give freedom to expressing ourselves, one needs to know their limit. There’s no right or wrong in having one or many identities online but one should how to properly manage it so that it won’t cause any unwanted impact on others.

Comments

Sean – https://seantayjr.wordpress.com/2016/11/07/topic-2-online-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-6

Klarrisa – https://klarissacjj.wordpress.com/2016/11/07/how-many-identities-do-you-have/comment-page-1/#comment-9

References

Smart Insights. (2016). Global Social Media Statistics Summary 2016. [online] Available at: http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/ [Accessed 8 Nov. 2016].

YouTube. (2016). Think Time: How Does Cyberbullying Affect You?. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oGFh0mwrjM [Accessed 8 Nov. 2016].