Monday 26 August 2013

week 4



Our online Identity


The popularity of online forums such as Instagram and Facebook have now extended the way in which we can share our lives with others.  When joining social media sites we are encouraged to share basic personal information about ourselves.  Questions about gender, age, relationship status and location are some commonly asked question within Instagram.  McNeill refers to this as the "human software interface"(p.101). This information is just the beginning of our online identity, with photograph, comments and "likes" posted, all helping to complete the picture

Mark Zuckerberg (2010)
Although we assume the information seen about others is true, there are no checks in place to make it so.  The anonymity of the online world provides an opportunity for people to embellish or alter their identities.  I agree with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg who argues "having two identities for yourself is an example of lack of integrity" (Kirkpatrick p.199).  For most of us however, our online identities are fairly accurate portraits.  As Van Luyn states "our virtual personality is now considered an extension of ourselves (2013).  In the end its up to the individual to decide how much or how little of their personality will extend into cyberspace.







References:


Kirkpatrick, David. The facebook effect. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010.


McNeill, L. (2012). There is no 'I' in network: social networking  sites and posthuman autobiography. In Biography, 35(1), 101-118
 
Van Luyn, A. (2013). BA1002: Our space: Network Narratives and the making of place, Lecture 4: Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/


Images:


Mark Zuckerberg (2010). Retrieved from: http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view






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1 comment:

  1. Unknown19 September 2013 at 23:33

    Maybe Facebook could be called Faceless, although the way they have set up Facebook Timeline gives you the opportunity to create a persona that suits you. It can be created so others see you the way you want them too. I also agree with Mark Zuckerberg and yourself, about decorum in setting up a true identity, unless someone has something or someone to hide from, this could be a valid reason. I actually do have a friend on my Facebook site that does have a false identity, for the latter reason. When adding only the people you know personally, it would be hard to show two identities, as most people you know in the real world, know who you are on a personal level.
    By having people on your site that you don’t really know so well, is different. You would more likely not show all aspects of your personality, especially the not so nice side that everyone possess.

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