Topic 2; Having multiple online identities – good or bad?

I will try to keep this post as short as I possible can, but I know it will be difficult because it is a big topic.  I will therefore mainly focus on how it is possible to have more than one online identity and how this could be both positive and negative especially considering the privacy aspect of this area.

Techopedia defines digital identity as: “an online or networked identity adopted or claimed in cyberspace by an individual, organization or electronic device. These users may also project more than one digital identity through multiple communities. In terms of digital identity management, key areas of concern are security and privacy.” (Techopedia)

Your online identity is built up the same way as your offline identity, by different characteristics. These characteristics when creating and developing your online identity can be your username, IP-address, pictures, demographics, interests, tags, purchasing history, search history and published text. (Internetsociety.org)

On an earlier stage of the Internet and social medias, people were using ‘anonymous’ usernames to create a way to interact with others online without telling the world too much about their selves. A well-known statement was created about this anonymous way to interact online and it describes the ‘old web’ well: “on the internet, no one knows you’re a dog”. Those days are now over. Websites like Facebook has made it far more difficult to separate your online and offline identity when your online presence is being influenced by your offline life whether you like it or not. (The Guardian, 2012) An example of how your offline identity can affect your online identity – and the other way around, is when you for example are attending events (created on facebook for when you are going out later), and you then get tagged in photos or status updates from friends from that party.

Because most of your online activity is available for everyone with an internet enabled device and a search engine link, it is important to be careful with what you are putting out on your online profiles. Also activities on ‘anonymous’ websites can be traced back to you, so be careful. Probably the most common approach to separate your professional and personal online identities is to create different profiles for different usage. The challenges now a days is that you have little control over what others tag you in, post on your profile(s) and so on. You may have a LinkedIn profile for professional networking, and a Facebook for personal usage. In order to keep them completely separate you should make sure to set the settings on your account very strictly, because in most cases everyone can access your facebook account, included future employers and your current colleagues and boss. You should try to keep all of your accounts (public profiles) at the same frequency, using the same photo and the content should send out the same message in order to keep your public image professional and clean to avoid ‘scandals’.

Online fingerprints

However, having multiple online identities can both be useful and positive, but it can also get back to you and bite you in the ass. In order to have the advantages and disadvantages easy accessible, they are listed below for an easy-to-read purpose.

The good:

  • Allows you to ‘separate’ personal and professional lives (as far as this is possible)
  • Write a blog about whatever you like, doesn’t necessarily have to be about who you are, it could be a fiction about who you want to be and your dreams.
  • Targeted/relevant news/recommendations from businesses that collects data from your Internet behavior and store this in databases and creates an online identity for you.

 The bad:

  • Your identities can influence each other and make your online appearance not trustworthy/authentic.
  • Not having a professional look on all your public profiles can put you in a bad light, especially from future/current employers.
  • Information about a person is often more trustworthy for other people if the information is from a third person, therefor stuff you are tagged in (pictures, status updates ++) will be a big part of how you are perceived by others online. (Aalen, I., 2013) Make sure every element adds up to how you want to be perceived.

References:

I did not know how to put this in fewer words, and I would love to write even more about this. I do realize there is a lot to still be covered on this topic, so feel free to comment below and I would be glad to comment back!

– Kaya

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