#UOSM2008 Topic 2: Online Identities
Discuss the arguments for and against having more than one online identity.
One major fact impossible to ignore is that our relationship and interaction with the internet is changing irrevocably. Increases in the importance of digital literacy for employment, as well as simple, routine communications, have altered our online identities and our interactions through them, particularly owing to the need for ‘authentic’ identities within our online interactions, affecting the web’s openness and our engagement with others (Krotoski, 2012).
The creation of multiple online identities is often done by distinguishing personal and professional uses for networking sites. Establishing alternative identities for specific uses can be advantageous dependent on the reasons for use; many employability opportunities can be created through an active online presence on LinkedIn or Twitter, in just the same way engaging with others on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, can lead to the creation of lasting friendships. Alternative identities create a context for the individual (Antunes, 2009), such as professional or personal ‘branding’ of oneself, advantageously reducing ambiguity in communications within that network, possibly making engagement more effective. Despite this, the more we congregate online the harder it becomes to separate private and professional identities (Costa and Torres, 2011), particularly if our presence is accessible and ‘open’ to engagement for all online. Although this is beneficial to maximise community engagement opportunities and for ‘marketing’ our work online, privacy control and content management on networking sites is paramount to maintaining multiple digital identities successfully … and something many struggle to manage effectively.
The most frequently created online identities arise through Facebook and Twitter profiles which formulate a person’s real name online and aggregate this to their offline identity. The resulting non-anonymity is a problem many people struggle to accept willingly, and one of the main reasons for an individual’s resistance to creating an online identity. However, a problem also arises within this, as, owing to the broad definition of ‘digital identity’, any individual who uses the web to establish an online bank account or shop on eBay is creating an online persona of themselves; digital identities are not simply created through social networking sites.
Despite the apparent disadvantages of juggling several online accounts for different ‘personas’, including cyber-bullying, racism or abuse, the advantages gained by having the freedom to create your own identity and ‘market’ yourself in multiple ways dependent on the audience or purpose of the online channel are beneficial to anyone; creating a separate ‘professional’ twitter account has enabled me to effectively enhance my engagement between myself and companies in the business and marketing industries I hope to work for in the future, which may not have happened using my personal account.
A good article by The Guardian explaining the power felt behind creating multiple identities and the beneficial flexibility this creates: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/15/reveal-real-identity-online-anonymity
References
Antunes, A., 2009. Multiple Online Identities. Science 2.0 [online] 28th August. Available at: http://www.science20.com/daytime_astronomer/multiple_online_identities Accessed 17th February 2014.
Costa, C., & Torres, R. (2011). To be or not to be, the importance of Digital Identity in the networked society. Educação, Formação & Tecnologias, n.o extra, Abril de 2011, 47-53. http://eft.educom.pt.
Krotoski, A., 2012. Online identity: is authenticity or anonymity more important? The Guardian, [online] 19th April. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/apr/19/online-identity-authenticity-anonymity Accessed 18th February 2014.
