It is common for people nowadays to have “online identities”. It can be in the form of social media, gaming platforms or your online shopping account. But is having more than one online identity detrimental to us?
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– Who are you? –
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Your online identity can be said to be sum of your characteristics and interactions while online (Internet Society, 2011). Everyone interacts differently on the web and uses it for different purposes. It can be personal, professional or maybe even both as Zadi mentioned in her video (Jetsetshow, 2010). Multiple identities can be created about you as you visit all kinds of websites, it creates a different persona of you each time you do something on the web. For example, when you use Amazon, it has established its own identity of you based off the products you buy even if it is not you using the account. All these persona that you create will not represent the REAL you (Internet Society, 2011).
Data-mining companies or marketers have to piece your persona together in order to form an identity of you in which they will use to project advertisements or products that will “cater” to your needs. The following video will showcase how that is done.
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– Multiple Identities –
People create multiple identities for many different purposes. For example, some people create two twitter accounts for work and personal purposes, everyone has information that they wish to share to certain people or they may wish to maintain a professional image and express their personal thoughts somewhere else. Another reason for having multiple identities is anonymity, it gives people freedom to express what they think about a particular topic or to vent their frustrations. However, some people(douche) take advantage of multiple identities which results in cyber-bullying linking to suicides as in the case of Jessica Cleland.
However, there has been much criticism for having multiple online identities, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Eric Schmidt has stated(Jurgenson, 2011):
How can they say that?? There are many people who are afraid to be criticized in eyes of the public. For example, people in the LGBT community may be living in fear and the only way for them to cope is by having multiple identities to express themselves. They are the weak and vulnerable people who at least on a personal level require multiple identities. Perhaps on a professional level whereby it is more applicable to have one account would i agree. For example, having one Facebook page for your company for answering any queries.
The following video showcases the impact on how you use your online identities.
(428 words)
References:
Internet Society, (2011). Understanding your Online Identity.
Jetsetshow, (2010). 7 Steps To Building Your Online Identity. Youtube.
DailyMailUK – Jessica Cleland.
Jurgenson, (2011). Jeff Jarvis and Multiple Identities: A Critique.
MovieClipsTrailers, (2013). Terms and Conditions May Apply Official Trailer #1 (2013) – Documentary Movie HD. Youtube.
reputationcom, (2011). Joel Stein Talks Data Mining and Personal Privacy on CNN American Morning. Youtube.
BEGINNING OF A NEW ADVENTURE of Kai 
Hey Kai Yuan!
Once again, really liked your post because its was so simple to read and digest! I completely agree on your view that people have multiple identities because of the need to express themselves. This is because they would not want to bear the consequences of expressing unorthodox views or opinions, which result in expressing this side of them with a separate identity. We also share the same view that professionals should have one consistent identity to aid in job application.
I liked how you separated personal and professional identities, and commented on them respectively if it is better to have one or multiple identities. However, would you agree that having one personal and one professional identity per person is having multiple identities in itself? One identity online would be to combine both professional and personal identities. If you had a choice, would you have one identity for greater career opportunities or multiple identities to have more freedom? Just a thought.
Thanks!
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Hi Nicole,
Thanks for stopping by :). In my opinion, you create identities or different personas whenever you do something on the web. By having a separate professional and personal identity, that itself is multiple identities. You have one to showcase your knowledge, skills or achievements(Professional) and one that is more personal for example facebook or twitter where you might say anything under the sun.
If i had a choice, i would definitely want to combine both my professional and personal identity together as stated by Zadi in her video. To me, it’s more convenient to just manage one account and you can be somewhat yourself in this identity that you created.
Hope this answers your queries 🙂
-Kai
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Hey Kai Yuan,
It’s me again! I guess I am pretty much getting hooked onto reading your posts as it really gives me a new point of view each time i read it. Today’s post is really good and I definitely did not think of the harmful effects to the society at large when I was working on my post.
As stated above, you have mentioned the side effects such as cyber-bullying, it sure is a very serious matter in the case. But instead of looking at it as a side effect on the society at large, why not look at the side effects of the person himself/herself for having more than one identity?
Once again, you made it so easy to understand for your readers with the videos and images to elaborate what exactly you are trying to tell us, and i really like it a lot. Before i sign off, I would like to ask do you think that it is effective for marketers to target various identities based on the personas created online? If yes, how effective would it be, knowing that your friend could be using your “online shopping account” to make certain purchases that you are less likely to buy? Peace out! 🙂
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Hi Nic,
Thanks for dropping by :). Yes i may have missed talking about the side effects of the person himself, thank you for pointing that out. In this time and age, i feel that everyone is a part of society which could also be why companies are now starting to be more CSR-driven.(Corporate social responsibility)
Hehe, you may refer to my reflective summary on topic for more information you might find handy regarding such data-mining “techniques” and how you can protect yourself. Over there, i talked about one of the many “trackers” data-mining companies use to identity us out. Although it may not be the same person using the account, i’m sure the internet browsing history might tell a different story. But then again, i’m not familiar with such software and i might be wrong.
Hope this clarifies! 🙂
-Kai
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Hey Kai Yuan
Thank you so much for pointing them out to me. It really helps me a lot in understanding this topic. It has been a great read on your reflective summary! Way to go man! I am pretty sure your posts will help many other readers as well, and hope to read more from you in future! 🙂
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Hey Kaiyuan!
Great post! I thoroughly enjoyed your argument on this topic. It’s very well comprehended and written! The first video was very helpful in allowing me to understand how data-mining systems and companies have advanced. It is indeed threatening to know that many third parties out there are holding so much of our personal information. You’ve also pointed out an important cons of having multiple identities – Cyberbullying. No doubt that many users are misusing their identities into bullying and some even resorted into cheating for monetary gains! Last of all, the last video made me realized that most of us have been fallen into the traps of agreeing to “Terms & Conditions” forsake of convenience and what I would say “laziness”. Perhaps this is the “click-away” that enables companies to get hold of our information. Had a good time reading this! Thank You! 🙂
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Hey Audrey,
Thank you for dropping by 🙂 and leaving such a heartwarming comment. I’m grateful that my blog has given you new insights into this topic and wish you all the best for the next topic!
(P.S. i had a good time reading your blog too!)
Cheers!
-Kai
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