2014, Page 7

Who am I online? Online identities.

Online identity is a term I have often heard discussed but put little thought into what it means for me and the way in which I use the internet. Warburton explains that the concept of digital identity is very broad and covers all kinds of information about ourselves which we put out onto the web, whether it is wittingly or unwittingly. Many people may not realise that everything we do online can be tracked and monitored and adds to this overall picture of who we appear to be. Continue reading →

Is having several social identities a good thing?

Have you ever googled yourself?  You might be in for a shock, if not. Its an unnerving thought to think that through technology, the digital world is able to extract all your online traces, and present it to anyone at a click of a button. We live in a world today where people are becoming more dependent on technology and living on the web. Due to social media use, you are able to develop as many online identities as you desire, reflecting your offline personality. Continue reading →

Anonymity: one of the most powerful inventions.

For many users of 4chan, August 31st 2014 comes down as one of the most controversial internet events in history. The Fappening, which still has accumulated over thirty-thousand hashtag counts just this past month, is the hacking of over 200 private photos of celebrities. The hacks were confirmed to have been aimed towards Apple’s cloud services or better known as iCloud. This event stirred a lot of debate towards internet security. Continue reading →

Identity Crisis: How many Online Identities should you have?

UOSM2033 Topic 2: Discuss the arguments for and against having more than one online identity Identities & Personae As the internet gets older, social media develops and the way we use the internet changes, the pressure on users to form strong online identities becomes greater and greater. From this added pressure arises the question of whether to have one large identity with a strong sense of brand or multiple identities that are suited for their own purposes. Continue reading →

There’s so many of me!

This week I have been tasked with discussing the pros and cons of having multiple online identities. The question is too blunt, it ignores the nuances and the contexts in which we express multiple identities virtually. The issues facing a varied online presence are multifaceted and all virtual interactions have virtues and failings. Continue reading →

Different Identities for Different Situations?

As soon to be graduates searching for jobs, we are advised to make our online presence expansive. Adding into this mix is that we have spent our formative teenage years online in one sense or another and have posts from school and university days (DiMicco, 2007, p.384), therefore, we as young adults are likely to have developed and changed in the past 5 years. Continue reading →

Online Identity or Online Identities?

My degree subject, Psychology, refers to identity as a collection of ways we think about ourselves, with some thoughts more central, important and pervasive than others (Gregg, 2014). In many ways, I think that’s a good place to start thinking about online identity, as online, while still being the same people, we can choose how we display that. Continue reading →

Multiple Online Identities (Topic 2)

There’s no question that online identities are rapidly changing but is it for the better? Digital identity is important because it is a part of how we are perceived by others (Costa & Torres, 2011). The question is, as internet users, do our social network pages, browsing history etc. together form one digital identity or are they separate? And does this depend on the access someone has to your individual identities. Continue reading →

On the internet, nobody knows if you’re a dog?!

‘Your online identity is the sum or your characteristics and interactions’ with different websites. The humorous adage ‘on the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog’ created by Peter Steiner referred to a time when our online identity could remain separate from our real lives, however, now many people are pushing for authentic, transparent online identities which truly reflect the user. At the same time, others have multiple identities across Twitter/ Facebook/ Tumblr etc. Continue reading →

Topic 2: The one or many faces of . . . ?

Who are you? Who are you online? Are you the same to everyone?  (Visual.ly, 2011) ‘Online identity’? Is “problematic in that its definition is so broad” (Warburton, 2010, p.8). Marcus et al’s (2006, p.1014) definition was the first I found; “actively constructed presentation of oneself”. While this is useful, Krotoski (2012) suggested the complexity of balance, through managing an “aggregated version of offline past, the online present and combined future”. Continue reading →

Topic 2: Discuss the arguments for and against having more than one online identity

UOSM 2033 – Topic 2: Discuss the arguments for and against having more than one online identity What is an online identity? The first step in this discussion is to ascertain what is meant by a digital identity, a difficult task given the broadness of the concept at hand. Warburton (2010) uses a spectrum of examples, ranging from simple authentication of an online banking transaction using a unique code, to online personas lived out through blogs or Facebook, with self-controlled exposure. Continue reading →

Multiple Online Identities?

In our day-to-day lives it’s illegal to have multiple identities, so why should we be allowed them online? photo credit: clappstar via photopin cc The Internet is becoming a bigger part of our lives every day, the separation between online and offline life is becoming ever more blurred. Social media has been so widely adopted that it is now engrained into society. The days of phoning up friends to share news have been replaced by posting a tweet. Continue reading →

multiple online identities.

The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerburg, once said “having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity” (2010), adding that he imagined it wouldn’t be long until the idea of having a “different image for your work friends or co-workers and for the other people you know” would cease to exist. Continue reading →

Topic 2: “Who am I then?”

Online identity: the sum of the characteristics and interactions you make online. These may be personal identities, created by you or profiles made for you. We always need to be careful with what we leave behind on the web, being conscious of our digital footprint. We must pay attention to our online identity, and therefore be aware of how we display ourselves to others via the web. One comment can cause damage to our reputation, affecting our everyday life. Continue reading →

General Feedback on Topic 1

Thank you for all your contributions so far. We have very much enjoyed reading them. If you have not yet submitted Topic 1 work, it is now late, and Topic 2 has started! Your individual feedback will be emailed to you shortly. In the meantime, here are some general comments: Basic information about the structure and expectations of the module is available in the Study Guide and Assessment pages of the module blog. Continue reading →

Help! I’ve Stolen Someone’s Online Identity!

Online Identity: The ability for individuals to interact online without sacrificing their personal privacy is a vital part of the Internet’s value, and is intimately related to its trustworthiness. [1] Upon reading the question; ‘Discuss the arguments for and against having more than one online identity’, my initial thoughts were ‘Oh, this is going to be another discussion about the dangers of facebook and online shopping. Continue reading →

An Overview…

Again, two weeks into this project I am still learning the finer details of this course. In hindsight I would like to say that I am proficient using WordPress and the whole blogging concept in general is second nature but I’d be wrong. There is a lot for me to still learn and I need to make the most of these drop-in sessions provided to me. That said, UOSM2033 itself I find refreshing in the sense that this course’s approach to learning is unique. Continue reading →

Topic 1: Reflection.

White’s concept of Digital Residency has brought up an insightful discussion amongst the other students. Whilst some have advocated its integration of flexibility with independence over the need for digital proficiency is a step towards the right direction, some have criticised the same factors as being other wise. Calum’s blog post highlights one of the main upsides of White’s work. Continue reading →

Topic 1: Reflection

The terms digital “resident” and “visitor” were new concepts for me, before I had started this module. However as I delved into these areas, my understanding grew which allowed me to associate myself with a personal perspective on both sides. Pretsky’s initial concepts first sparked my curiosity on the differentiation and classification of people and their online behaviour in the digital world, because quite simply, I had never thought about it before. Continue reading →

Topic 1: A Reflection

While obviously having some sort of broad overview of what the module would involve, the intricacies of it, as discovered in our opening tutorial, was something rather alien to me; an online course, consisting of blogging and building an online presence in a ‘learn-as-you-go-along’ fashion, with no formal lectures or face-to-face contact with my fellow peers. This new format of learning made me apprehensive at first, but two weeks into the course I feel my worries were unfounded. Continue reading →