Understanding the Digital Self

The Digital Self

• The digital self, also known as online identity, describes a person's online representation.
• People construct a controlled projection of themselves online, which influences how others perceive them.
• Digital self characteristics include being oriented inward, narrative in nature and multipliable.
• A person’s belief of how others perceive him defines the social self.
• In creating a social identity, a person seeks a sense of belonging to a group.

Intended Learning Outcomes

• Students will analyze online interactions, social media, virtual communities, digital communication tools, and how they affect the formation of digital identity.
• Learners will understand the role of self-expression, creativity, and digital content creation in establishing digital identity.
• Students will examine how individuals represent themselves online.
• Students will analyze how digital media (filters, photo editing, visual platforms) influence perceptions of beauty, body image, and self-worth.

Social World Domains

• The typical social world of a western-influenced society includes Family, School, and Neighborhood.
• The internet creates a fourth domain: online life.

Self-Presentation Definition

• Self-presentation behavior describes conscious or unconscious efforts to create, modify, or maintain a desired image in others' minds.

Reasons for Self-Presentation

• Facilitating social interaction.
• Attaining material and social rewards.
• Constructing a desired personal identity offline.

Impression Management

• Controlling or influencing how others perceive oneself online.
• Can involve strategic choices in clothing, grooming, body language, and verbal communication.

Impression Management Motives

• Instrumental: gaining rewards and boosting self-esteem.
• Expressive: controlling personal behavior and identity.

Impression Management Strategies

• Self-promotion: showing competence.
• Ingratiation: gaining approval.
• Exemplification: strategic self-sacrifice.
• Intimidation: showing power/authority.
• Supplication: exploiting weaknesses to get help.

Impacts of Social Interactions on Self

• In the digital age, the internet significantly impacts how teenagers form identities.
• They seek validation from friends and strangers online.
• This can heighten feelings of invisibility, affecting their self-perception.
• The current generation often struggles to differentiate real-time and online identities.
• Technology (especially the internet) makes it harder to create a single identity.
• Digiphrenia describes the challenging experience of maintaining multiple online personas.
• App-dependent behavior relies heavily on digital apps for communication, productivity, entertainment, and other functionalities.

What Makes People Addicted to the Internet?

• Social networks break down barriers of distance and time, allowing communication anytime, anywhere.
• Communication possibilities expand, facilitating sharing and representation of identities.

Boundaries of the Online Self

• This section discusses the distinctions between the private and public self online.

Private Self

• This comprises internal thoughts, feelings, and experiences—only accessible to a limited network of people.

Public Self

• Visible aspects of a person's online behavior and public presence.

Social Profiles

• Digital representations of individuals across various online platforms, revealing aspects like identity, interests, and activities.
• Users use these platforms to share information about themselves and engage with others.

Advantages of a Public Online Profile

• Enhances open communication.
• Enhances the reach for business contacts.
• Targets a wider audience.
• Improves business reputation.
• Expands market research and facilitates marketing campaigns.
• Connects interested people to specific websites.

Possible Risks of a Public Online Profile

• Higher probability of fraud, spam, and virus attacks.
• Increased risk of falling victim to online scams.
• Risk of negative comments and online bashing.

Advantages of a Private Online Profile

• Control over who views personal information.
• Protection against malicious individuals and negative feedback.

Disadvantages of a Private Online Profile:

• Limits the network of online connections.
• Low engagement with others.
• Limited opportunities to meet interesting people.
• Less accessible for business activities.

Individual Identity

• Individual identity develops throughout a lifetime.
• It encompasses aspects that may be beyond personal control.
• Focuses on unique characteristics and differences.

Social Identity

• Created by group membership and a sense of belonging.
• Emphasizes shared traits between members of a group, or what the person has in common with a group.
• Created from similarities with others.

Gender and Sexuality Online

• The internet has transformed the concept of gender identity.
• Sex is biologically determined (male or female).
• Gender is socially constructed from the interaction in society.
• Stereotypes are fixed beliefs about groups of people.
• Examples: women not as capable in technical fields, men not as emotional
• Disembodiment hypothesis: the internet allows for engaging in social activities while the body is physically static.
• People can freely express gender identities online.
• Sexuality refers to feelings, attractions, behaviors, and orientations related to intimate experiences.
• Factors that influence adolescent sexuality: hormones, personality, social/environmental factors, media, and the internet

This quiz explores the concept of the digital self and how online identities are formed. Students will analyze the impact of social media and digital communication on self-representation and belonging. By examining various digital platforms, learners will understand the complexities of online interactions and personal expression.