DIGITAL SELF: SELF

F. THE
AND OTHER IN CYBERSPACE

12

At the end of this learning module, the student is expected to:

a.

b.
discuss about online identity and their 'self in cyberspace and user id
expound selective self-presentation and impression management
evaluate the impact of online interactions on the self
d. establish boundaries of the online self: private vs.
public, personal vs. social
identity online; gender and sexuality online.

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 DISCUSSION/READINGS
INTRODUCTION
The term
"online identity" implies that there is distinction between how people
present themselves online and how they do offline. But any split between "online" and
"offline" identity is narrowing, for two reasons. In contrast to the internet of the 1990s,
people today use social media primarily to communicate with people they know in "real
life" contexts like home, work, and school. Second, wireless networking and portable
devices like smartphones and tablets make it easy to access social media as part of day-to-
day life, rather than having to formally "log on" to the internet (Marwick, A. 2013).

We are living in a digital age and other than face to face interaction, we have
interactions involving technology- cellular phones, computers and other gadgets. Thus, we
build our DIGITAL SELF. What represent yourself
is your Digital Self? How do you

online? This chapter module will help you understand how online identity is established
based on what information you offer in technology-interactions. It will present the risks and
dangers for posting too much of your personal life or pretending you are somebody else in

the social media world. This chapter module will also present what you can do to protect

your online personality that can affect your offline personality.

1. ONLINE IDENTITY AND 'SELF' IN CYBERSPACE: (I, Me, Myself, and

My User ID Online Identity)

Online Identity is the sum of your

characteristics and interactions. Because you interact,
differently with each website you visit, each of those
websites will have a different picture of who you are
and what you do. Sometimes the different
representations of you are referred to as partial

identities, because none of them has the full and true

picture of who you are.
"Your online identity is not the same as your 29

real-world identity because the characteristics you

represent online differ from the characteristics you
UQ42930
represent in the physical world. Every website you BYO
interact with has its own idea of your identity MON
because each one you visit sees you and your BIL
On the Internet, wabody bneren youte a deg"
characteristics differently" (InternetSociety.org, Q

2011).
"Online, most research on identity focused on self-presentation" (boyd 2010; Wynn
& Katz 1997; Papacharissi 2002; Baym 2010). "Social media like social network sites,
virtual depictions of
blogs, and online personals require users to self-consciously create
is the information and
themselves. One way of understanding such self-representation
But identity
materials people choose to show others on a Facebook profile or Twitter stream.
is also expressed through interacting with others, whether over instant messenger or email.

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 CQ Lilies mistity Thu St OD every piece of digital
Since there are fewer identity cues available online than face-to-face,
and emailaddress, can and is
information
person provides, from typing speed to nickname
used to make inferences about
them" (Marwick, A. 2013).
interact with will
How do you build your website that you
Online Identity? Every shared. Thus,
collect its you have
own version of who you are, based on the information that and what you do in
it isup to you how you will represent yourself as closely as who you
are

real life or
selectively, to create a representation far from your real life.

2. SELECTIVE SELF- PRESENTATION AND IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

These are
characteristics showing behaviors designed to convey an image about
ourselves to other people and to
influence perception of other people of this image. This
the
explains why our behaviors can change if we notice that we are being watched or observed.
This self-presentation can also change depending on who we are interacting with or what
personal information we need to be providing to present ourselves in a way that will be
acceptable to others. Thus, we can select only what we want to present and impress to
others, what we view beneficial to our
personality, especially when we create a digital self.
We carefully choose representation or expression of one's real world to the online world.

WHAT ALE
YOU US TOR
How real is your Digital TILS GAL 1 MET WOAH, CALA DOWR
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15 GOING TO

Self? How close

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BRAD PITT

online self-presentation and

impression management 10
the real you? Discuss these
illustrations in class to

emphasice the importance

of your Digital self.

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 C Understanding The Self-

3. IMPACT OF ONLINE INTERACTIONS ON THE SELF

about
When interacting
with otherpeople, we automatically make inferences
them without even being consciously aware of it. We cannot help but ponder what they
are, and
are thinking about, what their facial expressions mean, what their intentions
sO This predisposition is what makes social interactions so demanding. This suggests
on.

that interaction with human partners requires more emotional involvement, and thus
more cognitive effort, than interacting through a computer. The conclusion is clearour
online interaction does not require cognitive or emotional involvement, making
interaction with it much easier (Rilling, Sanfey, Aronson, Nystrom, & Cohen, 2004).

Is it true that Facebook provides opportunities for increased identity

development? YES! Research suggests that young users report increased self-esteem and
feedback on social networking sites
general wellbeing following instances of positive
survey of college
(Valkenburg, Peter, & Schouten, 2006). Relatedly, results from a 2009
students indicated that the heaviest Facebook users
were also most satisfied with their lives
Park, & Kee, 2009).
and exhibited greater social and political engagement (Valenzuela,

decrease
However, online interactions cannot reveal our true feelings and can
in face-to-face interactions can be
people's happiness levels. The extra effort involved or constrained social cues;
online interactions that are founded on minimal
spared in punctuation. Hence, it is
in emoticons
most of these signals can be summed up or
Studies
tweet.
easier to hide our emotions behind an email, a Facebook post or a the
conducted to show that within the first two years after people first accessed
were
that social media has a small,yet
internet, their happiness level decreased (Kraut, 1998) and social media sties
significant detriment on overall well-being. This is because browsing
of others.
when we compare self to the online personal
alone can lead to feelings of jealousy

may be
We can control our self-presentations on online interactions and this
face-to-face presentations,
both beneficial and hormful to the individual. Compared with
online interactions enable us to self-censor
10 a greater extent and manage our online
ourselves.
identities more strategically which provides greater opportunity to misrepresent

137
 C Understanding The Self ep does not require
This is due
to asynchronous communication (time delayed interaction that
participants to be onfine
simulineously)
Discuss in class and positive effects
the following illustrations to emphasice the negative
of online interactions.

POSITIVE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA and ONLINE

INTERACTION ON THE SELF

Social media sites inform and empower individualsto

change themselves and their communities.

Increased self-esteem when receiving many

likes and shares.

Boost one's moral and feelings of self worth

(Toma, 2010-Social Media & Identity 2013)

NEGATIVE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA and ONLINE

INTERACTION ON THE SELF
Extensive unline engagement is correlated with
personality and brain disorderslike poor social skills
ADHD, narcissistic tendencies, a need forinstant
ecatification, and addictive behavion and other
emotional distress like depression enziety, and
loneliness

Low self-esteem due to the risk of being

exposed to cyberbullying and
cyberpornography (healthxph.net-2015)

More occupied in giving attention to social media

than in keeping their customs and practices.
(phblogspot2013)

4. EXTENDED SELF IN A DIGITAL WORLD . Russel W. Belk

glimpse on the ideas of Russell W. Belk on

A
could give more
his "Extended Self in Digital World"
light on the topic. Belk presents five
changes emerging from our current
digital age:

1, Dematerialization
Things are disappearing right before our
photos, videos, music, calculations, eyes - our information, communications.
messages, "written" words are now largely invisible and
immaterial, composed of electronic streams stored in digital
storage devices in locations we

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will never know The
question is; "Can gain status or an enhanced sense of self from
we
virtual possessions?" Belk
proposes functions of virtualconsumption:
four
2.
stimulates consumer desire for both mateont and virtual goods
actualizes possibledaydreams such as those of wealth and status by enacting them in
video games
3
actualizes impossible fantasies such ns being a magician or space pirate with magical
objects
4 facilitates
experimentation such as being a criminal in a video game. Reports show
that virtual goods
attempt to hack into
are now some of the most valued commodities for cybercriminals who
games and steal virtual possessions to resell. Suicide may also result
to a stolen
virtual or digital possession.
2. Reembodiment
This is characterized as the "breakout of the visual" online, leading to new
"constructions" and definitions of the self in
the virtual world where online games, blogs,
web pages, photo and video-sharing
sites, internet dating sites are possible; we are
disembodied and reembodied as avatars, sharing identity with the chosen avatar virtually.
Online, the plain represent themselves as
glamorous, the old as young, the young as older.
Those
of modest means wear elaborate jeweiry, in virtual space, the crippled walk without
crutches, etc. We may employ anonymous
and pseudonymous identities online and enact
wild fantasy identities in online games and virtual
worlds. In some cases, even virtual sex,
marriage and divorce are made possible. Virtual participants may also have multiple
characters, increasing one's anonimity.
3. Sharing
Uploading, downloading, sharing, ete provide free access of information through
web surfing. How does sharing of possessions online enhance our individual and aggregate
senses of self?
In Facebook, social media friends know more than the immediate families about
our daily activities, connections, and thoughts. Diaries that were once private or shared only
with close friends are now posted as blogs for everyone to read. There is loss of control due
to sharing uncontrolled sharing of information by online participants or friends; restrictions
are not observed.

4. Co-construction of Self
Our digital involvement is social in nature. Our blogs invite comments, social
interaction which help in constructing our individual and joint extended sense of self as the
new version of Cooley's "Looking Glass Self Theory" known as the collaborative self. What

are the effects of this? Seeking affirmation iS obviously identified. Friends also help to co-
construct and reaffirm each other's sense of self through their postings, tagging and
comments.

5.Distibuted Memory
In a digital world, there is a new set of devices and technologies for recording and

archiving our memories. The dilemma is seen in the narrative of the self. Our identity is
not

to be found in behavior nor in the reactions of others, but in the capacity to keep a particular

narrative going, done by continually integrating events in the outside world into our ongoing
world may not be accurate in giving
story about the self. Photos posted in the online

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 memories of the past since the photos, blogs, etc. may just
he selected representations of
happy times hence, may not be sufficient to tell our stories.
of multiple
Here is the
summary changes in digital
of self.
with the proliferation
now extended
online personas, the core self idea
crumbles in the digital
world, the self is
from a more private
into avatars, which can affect our offline behavior and our sense of self,
affirm or modify our
to public presentation of self which is now that can help
co-constructed online self.
self. It is
sense of
highly recommended that we set boundaries to our
BOUNDARIES OF THE ONLINE SELF: PRIVATE VS. PUBLIC;
PERSONAL VS. SOCIAL IDENTITY ONLINE;
GENDER AND SEXUALITY ONLINE.

SETTING BOUNDARIES TO YOUR

ONLINE SELF

Stick to safer sites.

Guard your passwords.
Be choosy about your online friends.
Remember that anything you put online
or post on a site is there forever, even if
you try to delete it.
Don't be mean or embarrass other
people online.
Limit what you share.

Adolescents' online interactions are both a literal and a metaphoric screen for
representing major adolescent developmental issues, such as sexuality and identity. Because
of the public nature of internet chat rooms, they provide an open window into the expression
of adolescent concerns (Subrahmanyan, Greenfield & Tynes, 2004).

Research states that there are more gender-related similarities in establishing an

online self and blog use (Huffaker, 2004) and that the online self is good venue for gender
expression and sexuality. This is because in one's online identity, there 1s no physical
embodiment of gender or other physical markers of identity (Subrahmanyam et al., 2004)
and the online interactions serve as an agency for negotiating and expressing sexuality
(Boonmongkon, et al. 2013). Age and sex are the primary categories to which people are
assigned (Brewer & Lui, 1989) but in online identity, these are not evident and non-explicit.
Interactions online are important sources of sexual information for teens (Borzekowski &
Ricket, 2001; Ward, 2004). Yer, extra care with full sense of accountability must be
observed in the use of the social media to protect the self.

Inthis chapter, much has been said about the different aspects of the self and
identity. In the succeeding chapter, you will be introduced to the different ways of
managing
and caring for yourself in varied situations, particularly as a student.

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