Visayas State University Alangalang

Brgy. Binongtoan Alangalang, Leyte

Telephone: 525-0344 local 1098
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.vsu.edu.ph

MODULE 2: THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE SELF

LESSON 2.5: The Digital Self

LESSON SUMMARY:

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 real-world identity because the
characteristics you represent online differ from the characteristics you represent in the
physical world. Every website you interact with has its own idea of your identity because each
one of you sees you and your characteristics differently” (InternetSociety.org, 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, blogs, and
online personals require users to self-consciously create virtual depictions of themselves. One
way of understanding such self-representation is the information and materials people
choose to show others on a Facebook profile or Twitter stream. But identity is also expressed
through interacting with others, whether over instant messenger or email. Since thhere are
fewer identity cues available online than face-to-face, every piece of digital information a
person provides, from typing speed to nickname and email address, can and is used to make
inferences about them” (Marwick, A. 2013).

SELECTIVE SELF-PRESENTATION AND IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

These are characteristics showing behaviors designed to convey an image about ourselves
to other people and to influence the pereception of other people of this image. 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
representations or expression of one’s real world to the online world.

IMPACT OF ONLINE INTERACTIONS ON THE SELF

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
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 When interacting with other people, we automatically make inferences about them without
even being consciously aware of it. We cannot help but ponder what they are thinking about,
what their facial expressions mean, what their intentions are, and so on. This predisposition
is what makes social interactions so demanding. This suggests that interaction with human
partners requires more emotional involvemement, and thus more cognitive effort, than
interacting through a computer. The conclusion is clear – online interaction does not require
cognitive or emotional involvement, making our interaction with it much easier (Rilling, Sanfey,
Aronson, Nystrom, & Cohen, 2004).

Positive Impact of Social Media and Online Interaction on the self

• Social media sites inform and empower individuals to change themselves and their
communities.
• Increased self-esteem when receiving many likes and shares.
• Boost one’s moral and feelings of self-worth.

Negative Impact of Social Media and Online Interaction on the Self

• Extensive online enagagement is correlated with personality and brain disorders like
poor social skills. ADHD, narcissistic tendencies, a need for instant gratification, and
addictive behaviors and other emotional distress like depression, anxiety, and
loneliness.
• Low self-esteem due to the risk of being exposed to cyberbullying and
cyberpornography.
• More occupied in giving attention to social media than in keeping their customs and
practices.

EXTENDED SELF IN A DIGITAL WORLD – Russel W. Belk

A glimpse on the ideas of Russel W. Belk on his “Extended Self in a Digital World” could
give more light on the topic. Belk presents five changes emerging fro our current digital age:

1. Dematerialization
Things are disappearing right before our eyes – our information, communications, photos,
videos, music, calculations, messages, “written” words are now largely invisible and
immaterial, composed of electronic streams stored in digital storage devices in locations we
will never know. The question is; “Can we gain status or an enhanced sense of self from virtual
possessions?” Belk proposes four functions of virtual consumption:
• stimulates consumer desire for both material and virtual goods
• actualizes possible daydreams such as those of wealth and status by enacting them in
video games
• actualizes impossible fantasies such as being a magician or space pirate with magical
objects
• facilitates experimentation such as being a criminal in a video game. Reports show that
virtual goods are now some of the most valued commodities for cybercriminals who
attempt to hack into games and steal virtual possessions to resell. Suicide may also
result to a stolen virtual or digital possession.

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
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 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 jewelry, 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, etc. 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. Distributed 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 story about
the self. Photos posted in ther online world may not be accurate in giving memories of the
past since the photos, blogs, etc. may just be selected representations of happy times hence,
may not be sufficient to tell our stories.

BOUNDARIES OF THE ONLINE SELF: PRIVATE VS. PUBLIC; PERSONAL VS. SOCIAL
IDENTITY ONLINE; GENDER AND SEXUALITY ONLINE

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
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 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 development 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 a good venue for gender
expression and sexuality. This is because in one’s online identity, there is 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). Yet, extra care with full sense of accountability must be observed
in the use of the social media to protect the self.

Main References:
1. Alata E.J.P., Pawilen, R.A., et al. (2018). Understanding the Self. Rex Book Store, Inc
2. Brawner, D.G. and Arcega, A.F. (2018). Understanding the Self. C & E Publishing, Inc.
3. Villafuerte, S.L., Quillope, A.F., et al. (2018) Understanding the Self. Quezon City: Nieme
Publishing House C. LTD.

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
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