Unit 5: The Digital Self PDF

# UNIT 5: THE DIGITAL SELF ## Guide question for proj.: What emoji would U be and why? This unit shall discuss the sense of online self and the presentation and impression management of the online self. It shall challenge you to examine the boundaries of your online self: public versus private; pe...

# UNIT 5: THE DIGITAL SELF ## Guide question for proj.: What emoji would U be and why? This unit shall discuss the sense of online self and the presentation and impression management of the online self. It shall challenge you to examine the boundaries of your online self: public versus private; personal/individual versus social, digital identity; and your gender and sexuality online. "Privacy is not an option, and it shouldn't be the price we accept for just getting on the internet." -Gary Kovacs ## ONLINE IDENTITY AND THE SELF IN CYBERSPACE Nowadays, different information that was once inaccessible is now within reach or can be accessed with a single 'click'. Apart from accessible information, people continued to develop systems intended to bring people closer together through the different social media platforms where people could interact with each other as made possible by the internet and the world wide web. With the rise of these platforms, people could now easily express themselves through online interactions. It may be as simple as sharing your basic information to expressing your likes or dislikes, hobbies, interests, relationship status, and the like. All of these, when taken together, is the aspect of the self known as the 'digital self'. Online Identity constitutes the sum of your characteristics and interactions online. The different websites you access obtain a subset of information you share, thus, having different pictures of who you are. Similarly, you may express yourself differently in the websites or social media platforms you access. The different representations of your identity seen and expressed online are also known as your partial identities. These identities are not full and true pictures of who you really are and do not include how you react in particular situations. ## IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT AND SELECTIVE SELF-PRESENTATION Have you ever changed how you behave in a particular situation because you know you are being watched? The same can be said in terms of how you present yourself online. Our behaviors change if we notice that we are being watched and observed, and how we present ourselves changes depending on who we interact with. In a digital world where one's self-concept may be greatly influenced by the "likes", "reacts," and "comments" that one gets, people try to express themselves in a manner by which one can elicit positive reactions from others or one may be perceived as likable. This is what we term impression management. Impression management may involve limiting the personal information we provide to present ourselves in a way acceptable to others. Some may even carefully choose which parts of their real-world will be shown or represented in the online world to create an identity defined by the few chosen and curated events in one's life. For example, one may post only travel photos or videos and may already give the impression that he or she is already living a good life, but who knows what happens behind shooting those videos and editing some photos? How is this person like in other aspects of his/her life? ## IMPACT OF ONLINE INTERACTIONS ON THE SELF According to Kraut, within the first two years people first accessed the internet, their level of happiness decreased. The use of digital technology and online interactions seem to replace or limit physical or face-to-face interactions, thus drawing people away from more genuine encounters and meaningful connections with others. As people create their different online personas, this may result in feelings of jealousy and envy toward the seemingly perfect lives of other people. Our online interactions or internet use generally have both positive and negative impacts. Its value in ease of communication has been emphasized in the earlier parts of this unit. Besides making communication more accessible, online interactions may likewise empower individuals to change themselves and their communities. Through responsible use of and participation in social media, essential information may be obtained or used to our advantage, like keeping up to date with current events and political issues. It may facilitate the expression of opinions and lobbying of concerns or needs, such as in the case of online petitions aiming to promote different advocacies or to lobby grievances to concerned authorities. However, online interactions also have a fair share of negative consequences on the self. As everyone could create and distribute content all over the internet, anyone could be a target of identity theft, like you. Anyone could be a victim of false information, and the most rampant today, fake news. That is why fact-checking is emphasized today more than ever. The risk of developing poor social skills, internet addictive behaviors, and low self-esteem comes with prolonged and irresponsible internet use. Last but not least, it is common knowledge that here in the Philippines, we have the R.A. 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) primarily aimed to protect internet users from several legal offenses committed online or through a computer system like cyberbullying, cybersex, child pornography, identity theft, illegal access to data, and libel. ## EXTENDED SELF IN A DIGITAL WORLD (BELK) 1. **Dematerialization:** Now that we are in the digital age, formerly tangible things have become invisible and immaterial. To research, we browse the internet more, and fewer and fewer people visit libraries to get a hold of books. Photos, videos, and music now have what we call "soft copies". 2. **Reembodiment:** As people interact behind their own screens, people are now freer to create new constructions and definitions of the self. On the internet, people have the liberty to "reembody" themselves through the creation of avatars, characters or "heroes" in online games, photoshopped photos, and dating site profiles, among others. 3. **Sharing:** Through the internet, people can now easily and freely access and share information, movies, photos, music, and the like. A simple tap on your digital device allows you to share to the world wide web a photo of yourself, the food you eat, the places you go to, etc. You can create your own blog and share your innermost thoughts, or create your own Youtube channel to share whichever content you choose, may it be your cooking skills, makeup skills, lifestyle, travels, online gaming, and a whole lot more. 4. **Co-construction of the Self:** Our online interactions allow us to give and receive comments on the posts or contents shared by other people, thereby facilitating the construction of our individual self and our extended self (the self shared online). This is also known as the "collaborative self". We continually develop or work on ourselves through the help of our online interactions. ## SETTING BOUNDARIES FOR YOUR ONLINE SELF Now that much has been said about the digital self and online interactions. Knowing how to protect yourself from digital offenses and harm is equally important. Here are some tips you can observe: - Stick to safer sites. Leave immediately if a website is not secure or appears suspicious. - Guard your passwords. Avoid using your basic information as your passwords. Strong passwords often include both UPPERCASE and lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, and special characters. - Be choosy about your online friends. Avoid adding or accepting as friends/contacts those individuals whom you do not know personally. Remember that these people will see the things you share. If you do not trust them with your shared content, decline. - Remember that anything you put online or post on a site is there FOREVER, even if you try to delete it. If you do not want it to be available on the internet forever, do not post or upload it. You might want to ask yourself first, "Is this really worth sharing, or is this something I might regret in the future?" - Do not be mean or embarrass other people online. Remember that you may be criminally liable when you do online acts that directly or indirectly harm other people. When you see something wrong, there are better ways to approach your concern than being mean or embarrassing others. Be a responsible internet consumer. - Limit what you share. Again, everything you share on the internet stays there forever. Avoid oversharing, especially those which you think are things that can be used against you, or worse, used to blackmail you. Is it helpful? Does it really concern others? Think before you click. Above everything, always remember to use the internet responsibly, and know that digital devices and the internet were only created by humans, not the other way around.