Many factors determine a person’s identity. Sex, race, creed, gender and interests are some things that are involved with what shapes identity. What a person believes to be their identity (reflexive identity) can be different than what others view as their identity to be (ascribed identity). What someone looks like or acts like in public can often be very different than who they really are. This identity is hidden to some for fear of ridicule or persecution. When people feel as if they can’t be who they truly are in society, they often portray their reflexive identity online.
In a world of anonymity like the web some people feel it is easier to express their true feelings, beliefs and even genders on the web, rather these things with friends and family. Online identity is also something that people can use to be someone that they are not, nor have even been. We often hear stories in the news about grown men pretending to be teenage boys in order to meet underage high school girls. We also hear the stories of people that choose to meet a friend from Second Life or in a chat room that wind up being someone completely different than what was expected. This example is shown in the upcoming documentary by Henry Joost and Ariel Shulman “Catfish.”
SPOILER ALERT! The film debuted at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and documents a young man and the online social network friends he has made through his photography. It also shows just how far off a person’s online identity may be from their ascribed or even their reflexive identity. No matter how long you may talk to a person, or multiple people online you may never know if they are truly who they say they are. Knowing how easy it is to set up a Facebook, a Twitter or even how simple it was for me to set up this blog makes it easy to see how so many people steal others identities and make it their online identity. Within the past year Twitter began giving out “badges” to well known users to assure the authenticity of their identity. An article by Brad Stone of the New York Times entitled “Keeping a True Identity Becomes a Battle Online”, Stone discusses some ways in which social networking sites are working to prevent online identity fraud and how easily it can happen.
Another issue with online identity is what to do if someone has the same name as you? More often than not employers will Google a person or check a Facebook before that interviewee ever walks in for the interview. This is where they go to get their first impression. If you maintain a professional or noteworthy online identity there is nothing to worry about. If there are incriminating photos of you on a friend’s page or someone else with the same name is more active online in a negative light, you could be losing your chance at that job. The key in the maintenance of your online identity is to set up a blog or website that shows off you’re your work. You can also avoid unwanted tagging or posting of pictures that people paying your salary may find irresponsible. The moral of the story for online identity is you can be who you are or who you want people to think you are but you need to make sure that which ever you choose people will still judge by it.
