Digital Identity & Networking
What is a digital identity?
According to Stroller, “digital identity(of a person, organization or device) is more like a person’s footprints on the web.” It is about how we portray ourselves online and everything that we do in cyberspace. Therefore, it includes bio-data, posts, comments, blogs, work, portfolios, and everything we interact with online. Digital identities play a role in our digital economies and connect us to prospective clients or employers (Davos, 2019). It is the reason we should shape our identities thoughtfully.
How Personal versus Professional Approaches to Digital Identity Affect Social Media Utilization?
A personal approach and a professional approach to digital identities determines the utilization of media platforms by dictating what people choose to showcase online and what remains hidden (Stroller, 2016). For example, someone can have a general professional account where they post, comment, or interact with others in ways that conform to their societal expectations.
The same person can possess an additional fake or pseudo account where they post whatever is in their mind without a care. They restrict the visibility of the posts to selected individuals who may not judge them. The disadvantage is that the posts on the fake personal account may be leaked to others through screenshots or gossip.
How Digital Identities Converge in Networked Publics and its Impacts/Benefits?
Social network sites( Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, telegram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, e.t.c) provide a platform where digital identities converge. Whenever someone posts on a public platform, digital identities converge in the form of followers, commenting, liking the post, or sharing the post further. This convergence is essential as it provides opportunities for employment, growth, empowerment, and support (Davos, 2019)
For example, sites like Fuzu and Indeed link employers to potential employees whenever a person uploads their resume to the websites (Boyd, 2012). After seeing what they post, someone can also hire a person like an interior designer who posts their designs and decor and gets noticed by an interested client.
Additionally, convergence provides growth and empowerment. A musician can quickly identify someone to collaborate with within a song when they notice they post a similar genre with a similar message.
Lastly, the online community provides support through followers and friends’ motivational stories or online communities who share similar traumatic experiences, such as suicide survivors’ online community or alcohol anonymous groups.
A negative impact of the convergence could be cyberbullying, which happens whenever people with conflicting values their digital identities on the same media platform. The bullying could range from body shaming to controversial topics such as political differences. However, the advantages of digital convergence outweigh the negatives(Boyd, 2012). People need to strike a healthy balance and maximize the benefits.
Reference
Boyd, Danah “Networked Privacy” Microsoft Research. Surveillance & Society. USA, 22 December 2012, https://doi.org/10.24908/ss.v10i3/4.4529
Davos. “Press Conference The Value of Digital Identity for the Global Economy and Society.” Presented by George, M., Kubzansky, M., Nilekani, N., Ratas, J., Snapp, M. YouTube, uploaded by World Economic Forum, 5 February 2019, https://youtu.be/1-V7lyxrOmw
Stoller, Eric. “Eric Stoller – What is Digital Identity?” YouTube, uploaded by University of Derby, 25 November 2016, https://youtu.be/u0RryRbJza0
benjamin778
June 2, 2022 — 11:55 pm
Hi Yutong, I enjoyed reading your blogs, it is very organized and well. On your first paragraph, you employed some dialogues from the provided YouTube video on the definition of the digital identity, you explain the nature of the digital identity, but I would like to hear your idea of the digital identity. Maybe you have a different explanation of it. I agree with your idea on the explanation of the personal and professional approaches toward the digital identity. And the last passage, you give some very detail explanation of the impact of digital identity. I love the negative impact you mentioned, and I think the cyberbullying is still influence the network environment. Cyberbullying is a new discrimination in the network, where people hide their identity to criticized others. It is not representing the good nature of humankind.