Online Identity
Your Identity online is derived from many different aspects on how you want others to Interpret you. You have all the power to give as much Information about yourself online, giving it all In your hands, but most people want their Identity to be a true reflection of them as a person. These two articles and online video dive deeper Into the characteristics of what defines a person In the digital world.
According the authors Wängqvist & Frisén (2016), the online contexts that are Important settings for adolescent Identity development are sexuality and ethnicity. Sexuality Is a very Important aspect of our lives in general whether that be online or offlien, especially in todays day and age. For adolescents setting a solid background for others to view them as this Is often one of the first things that we can notice. Sexuality Is important because It can change who you want to connect with and who wants to connect with you. Having this context in your identity development of who you are Is critical in the sense of how others can view, and connect with you. Ethnicity is also very Important to the identity development of adolescents according the this article. In the research they conducted it showed that people of ethnic minorities tend to express the cultural aspects of who they truly are. This allows them to be less concealed from the outside world as now people know what their true identity Is. This is still the case with adults two because these two contexts are very Important In telling people on the digital world a basis of who you actually are as a person, no matter what the age.
Web technologies have allowed for a whole different world starting in the 21st century. Social networks now allow us to do so many more things with our peers from the touch of our fingertips, but often we are judged initially off of what social scientists call our social identities. Social networks can impact learning through digital Identity formation through the plethora of different platforms and how people interact differently throughout each one. Different sources of digital media have different purposes, and learning from these sources comes with time. Identity formation can become a learning opportunity for people as they try to figure out who they and the others in the surrounding communities really are. Personally, I have learned from digital identity because It helps you to figure out you crowd and who you want to Interact with whether that be online or offline. Learning from your identity online just really allows you to show your true colors and figure out who and what you want to be seen as.
In Couro’s TedTalk video addressing the question of “How do we help kids discover and experience the many emerging possibilities of the internet for networked, human connection while allowing them to safely grow and share their Identities and the Identities of others?”. People in general help each other discover the endless possibilities of the Incredible web technologies that nearly everyone posses’s. We do this by allowing others voices to be heard and not judging through social media and other social platforms. As mentioned In the article by Wängqvist & Frisén, their are specific contexts through the Internet that help us grow In the direction that best fits us and that starts by creating a social identity that you want to be seen as. The Internet allows for so many connections through a numerous amount of networks, whether that be for a job, finding friends and trying to buy something online and everything In between that. It’s up to you and the people you surround yourself with the help learn in a positive and negative way, and Im speaking on behalf of kids and adults, just people In general. Safety does often come Into question when referencing the internet because you truly don’t know what’s out there, but I think with time and experience you will be able to decipher what’s good and what’s not on the Internet allowing for a blanketed opportunity of growth for your social identity and knowledge of the real world.
