#UOSM2008 Topic 2
Discuss the arguments for and against having more than one online identity.
An online identity can be recognised as the accumulated electronic data that exists online which can be traced back to an individual, be it the things we say about ourselves online, the things others say about us online or the outcomes of our electronic transactions (Warburton, 2010).
Should we have multiple online identities? Should āhideā behind pseudonyms?
Pseudonyms, which can be seen as nicknames for users to identify themselves in some online spheres, allow web users to deliberately change their identity online to fix with a certain context, enabling an individual to adopt multiple online identities. Psychologists have argued that pseudonyms are valuable for the development of a sense of who you are, who you can be and how you can fit into different contexts (Krotoski, 2012).
Andrew Lewman, executive director of the Tor Project, which is a program that aims to protect anonymity and privacy online, argues in favour of multiple identities, believing that the ability to be anonymous which can be obtained through multiple online identities is āincreasingly important because it gives people control, it lets them be creative, it lets them figure out their identity and explore what they want to doā (Krotoski, 2012).
But is someone who has multiple identities online someone who we can trust?
Perhaps the strongest arguments against having multiple online identities centre on the credibility and reliability of the person with multiple identities (Costa and Torres, 2011). Given that there already exists suspicion around the anonymity that the web can provide individuals (especially, as discussed in topic 1, for digital visitors who tend not to project their identity online due to privacy issues and identity theft concerns), could encouraging individuals to have more than one identity increase this suspicion and create a culture of distrust?
The anonymity that multiple identities can provide individuals can lead to problems such as internet trolling, cyberbullying and criminal predatory behaviour, issues which all feature heavily in daily news. A shocking example of the problem of multiple identities and trolling is the case of Hannah Smith, whose suicide was believed to be caused by internet trolls posting abusive messages to her anonymously. Startlingly, the pre-inquest review in to Hannahās death has claimed that she had used multiple online identities to troll herself (Watson, 2014).
So maybe we shouldnāt have more than one online identity? If we pick and choose what elements of ourselves we display through different identities, are we trustworthy? Does having more than one identity online make it easier to engage in devious behaviour and detach ourselves of the responsibility of this behaviour?
Having multiple online identities doesnāt necessarily mean we pretend to be someone else. We may share different aspects of our identities with different audiences. Altering what we share online in a āpersonalā and a āprofessionalā sense can be beneficial in terms of employability, and making the distinction between what is appropriate to share in terms of professional and personal lives can be seen as having multiple online identities .The concerns and arguments against multiple online identities tend to arise when these identities are used as a mechanism to anonymously engage in devious behaviour, not when these identities are used to separate our private and professional lives online.
References:
Costa, C., & Torres, R. (2011). To be or not to be, the importance of Digital Identity in the networked society. EducaĆ§Ć£o, FormaĆ§Ć£o & Tecnologias, [Online], pp 47-53, Available: http://eft.educom.pt/index.php/eft/article/view/216/126 [Accessed 18th February 2014]
Krotoski, A., (2012), Online identity: is authenticity or anonymity more important?, The Guardian, [Online], Available: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/apr/19/online-identity-authenticity-anonymity [Accessed 20th February 2014]
Warburton, S. (2010). Identity matters, [Online], London: Kingās College London, Available: http://digitaldisruptions.org/rhizome/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/rhiz08_DigitalIdentityMatters.pdf [Accessed 19th February 2014]
Watson, L., (2014), Schoolgirl, 14, found hanged in her bedroom after being ‘trolled’ on Ask.fm ‘sent abusive messages to herself’, coroner says, Daily Mail, [Online], Available: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2558545/There-no-trolling-case-Coroner-says-wont-investigate-claims-Hannah-Smith-bullied-Ask-fm-tragic-teen-sent-messages-herself.html [Accessed 19th February 2014]
