Introduction
In our current day and age, the Internet plays a vital role
in all of our lives: it is where we conduct research, complete online
assignments, fill out job applications and, predominantly in todays culture, socialize virtually.
While social networking and online interaction with other people has been around since the birth of the World Wide Web, never before has it been so prevalent. While before, an “online persona” only extended as far as anonymous usernames in chat rooms, it is now much more public and widespread. Today, our virtual representations of ourselves reach a limitless audience comprised of real people who know and recognize us offline.
While social networking and online interaction with other people has been around since the birth of the World Wide Web, never before has it been so prevalent. While before, an “online persona” only extended as far as anonymous usernames in chat rooms, it is now much more public and widespread. Today, our virtual representations of ourselves reach a limitless audience comprised of real people who know and recognize us offline.
We are everywhere.
Currently, 90% of college students use Facebook, not to mention an ever-increasing web of other social media platforms: Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc. At this critical time when we as students are constructing our public identity by showing the world what we have to offer, it is important to ponder the different ways social networking can affect our image.
Currently, 90% of college students use Facebook, not to mention an ever-increasing web of other social media platforms: Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc. At this critical time when we as students are constructing our public identity by showing the world what we have to offer, it is important to ponder the different ways social networking can affect our image.
74% of students reported
that their Facebook profiles were accurate representations of themselves,
suggesting that identity construction is a key consideration when determining
which information to post or not.
Often, our online profiles and our social networking
posts are the first things new acquaintances ever associate with us. “Looking someone up” has become a common
practice when creating relationships and connecting with people. It is safe to
say that we have all experienced a bad first impression of a person based on
their all-too-frequent Instagram selfies or their edgy political statements on
Facebook.
At this point, our online persona extends much further than the computer screen. As inconsequential as a simple status or tweet may seem, one post could have a far greater impact than we think.
At this point, our online persona extends much further than the computer screen. As inconsequential as a simple status or tweet may seem, one post could have a far greater impact than we think.
The effects are no longer merely virtual. Online behavior
has real effects on our authentic offline relationships.
How will you establish your online identity?
How will you establish your online identity?
The Dangers of a Single Identity
This all-too-familiar box pops up on your screen.
All you wanted to do was preview that new Miley Cyrus song everybody is talking about, or take one of those completely accurate Harry Potter personality tests, but instead you are being asked to surrender your personal photos, statuses, date of birth, and any other piece of information you have posted on Facebook to some mysterious, unknown online database.
It doesn't seem right.
As individuals with varying beliefs, interests, and attitudes, all people should be able to express themselves as they please through any social media platform, free from their real-life identities, according to their own ideals and desires.
As a person's online presence has become increasingly prevalent in today's society, people are constantly asked to log into different platforms through their already-existing online identities. While this is not forced upon anyone, it is usually quicker and a lot less work than setting up an individual profile for every website a person will encounter. This has resulted in the formation of a single identity that reaches across the entire World Wide Web.
This one perception of an individual is constantly being used online:
• It is used in marketing to give businesses the ability to target audiences that are most interested in their product.
Although there are clearly benefits to this uniform online identity, it creates one major problem.
The single identity does not account for the multi-faceted reality of an individual.
A person is not only what they post on Facebook or Google, but an intricate combination of many various perspectives and interests, likes and dislikes, weaknesses and strengths, whether they are publicly displayed or not.
A complete freedom of expression is essential to the growth of individuals. Andrew Lewman, the executive director of the Tor project (a free software that enables complete anonymity) stated:
It is crucial for everyone to remember that they have the right to keep their multiple social media identities separate, by learning to compartmentalize their appearances according to their own desire. Furthermore, individuals should have the right to fully remove their identity from their online handprint.
Without these freedoms, people would be barred from using the internet for its intended purpose:
"The ability to be anonymous is increasingly important because it gives people control, it lets them be creative, it lets them figure out their identity and explore what they want to do."Because a person's online identity is so closely linked to their offline identity, people are barred from freely expressing their individuality on the web.
It is crucial for everyone to remember that they have the right to keep their multiple social media identities separate, by learning to compartmentalize their appearances according to their own desire. Furthermore, individuals should have the right to fully remove their identity from their online handprint.
Without these freedoms, people would be barred from using the internet for its intended purpose:
limitless discovery and innovation.
Can One Post Really Make a Difference?
We live in a connected world, no doubt about it. It seems we can hardly survive a whole day without
being plugged in anymore. As the world
around us progresses we need to develop the awareness and the know-how to
achieve success both now and in the future. We must come to realize that our social media decisions now as
BYU students will have lasting effects that will carry through to opportunities
in the future.
Social media is an amazing tool that networks our
reality. We can interact with our family
members, close friends, classmates, teachers, and people we've never met before
with just a few clicks or taps. The capability to interface with anyone gives us power and therefore responsibility.
Specifically, social media can have a huge impact on the first impression you make. Take this situation as an example:
Let’s say that you and I meet in class. The class period ends
and we go our separate ways. Afterwards I go online and view your profile: browsing through photo albums,
recent statuses, and any other eye catching tidbit that you make publicly
available. No foul intentions, just
looking at who you are (or at least who you present yourself to be).
Based on the information I see, I create in my mind who I think you are.
Many of us go through this scenario on an almost daily basis. Depending on who does look through our public information,
potential jobs can be squandered, relationships can be destroyed,
and opportunities can be forfeited by unbridled posting.
The question of whether or not it is
right for employers to check public domain for information about prospective
employees will continue to be debated. The important point is that at this moment anyone can access any
bit of public data we put out on the web--for better or for worse. One
picture or status can completely change opinions or perspectives about who we are. Suddenly all the hard
work devoted to positive first impressions is undone because of the way we
presented ourselves online.
“If you choose to leave social media content public, tailor the message to your advantage. Filter out anything that can tarnish your professional reputation and post communications, links and photos that portray you in the best possible light.” -Rosemary Haefner, VP of HR at CareerBuilder.We must focus on what we can control.
My invitation to you is simple. Look at your social media profiles. Would your mom be proud
of how you present yourself? You don’t have to delete or change
your content immediately, just change who is able to see it.
This is the button you are looking for ^
Last year, CareerBuilder released the results of a survey titled Social Media and Getting a Job that showed how much employers use social media when considering which job applicants to hire. As I started being more selective about the information I chose to broadcast to the world, I found this survey's results and suggestions to be very useful. It's a straightforward, although not all-inclusive list of social media Do's and Don'ts to help you improve your online decisions.
So next time you go to post about your personal life, take a step back and think about who is going to see that post, and what possible repercussions it may have for your future. Think about how that post will represent you as a person, to possible employers as well as to your friends and family.
You’ll look back and be glad you did.
|
Esse Quam Videri
There once was a time when the Internet was private. When we
could use it as an escape from reality. When we could assume any persona we
wanted.
Now is not that time.
In her blog post, Amanda discusses being confident about your true self online. In my opinion, this issue extends even further past
self-discovery. I think it is important to remember that who we are online is
ultimately who we are offline.
In a time where social networking dominates a majority of the World Wide Web, it is difficult to keep anything from the rest of society. Nearly every website we visit gives us the chance to sign in with Facebook or Google, tying all of our history online not only to our real names, but also to virtually anyone who associates with us through any social network.
“The days of you having a different image for your work friends or co-workers and for the other people you know are probably coming to an end pretty quickly. Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity.” Mark Zuckerberg
Because of this, there is an increasing alignment between
our online identity and our physical self. What we post is under our real names, and therefore our online persona reflects who we are in real life. No longer can
we be associated with something online that will not influence the way people view us a person.
How important was that privacy in the first place? From a moral perspective, it gave us the opportunity to temporarily conceal our identity. But if our identity isn’t consistent,
are we really being honest?
As it says in the motto of the BYU Men’s Chorus:
Esse
quam videri, or to be, rather than to seem.
We should remain constant in our intentions and our actions
across all platforms in the virtual world as well as in reality. When we do
this, we show a greater level of authenticity as people.
If we don't, we are deceiving those around us, but more importantly, we are deceiving ourselves.
Take Twitter for example. I have noticed that since the
Twitter audience is not as large as Facebook, we often feel free to be more
open, or to make statements we would not make on Facebook because we know our parents and our old high school teachers won't be reading them. What does this say about us? It certainly does not
strengthen our integrity as individuals.
We as humans are multifaceted, and our individual quirks and
differences make us who we are, but these personal contrasts should not be
something we have to hide. If we have to take the time to think about where we
are posting something based on how the audience will react, we probably
shouldn’t be posting it at all.
It isn’t always easy to filter the things we think, and it’s
so easy to turn our thoughts into posts. Living with integrity requires active
effort online and offline.
Making the Effort to Be Yourself
Two years ago, artists James Alliban and Keiichi Matsuda created a program that displays people's form not as a realistic image, but as a clump of descriptors gathered from their various social media sites. Check out this video:
"We wanted to expose this digital aura, while questioning how this new way of defining ourselves may start to trap and enmesh us." -Keiichi Matsuda
It is
important that we remember that our social media activity affects others’
perceptions of us. There are some things about yourself that others really
don't need to know (or really shouldn't), and we all know those friends that
cross the line of being authentic and offering too much information.
But when do we cross
the line between being selective and being deceptive?
College is all about
redefining yourself. Each of us is experiencing major life changes like moving
away from home, starting new relationships, choosing a career path, etc. When
entering a new social climate such as college, social media platforms provide a
useful way to display our unique and evolving identities.
However, instead of relishing this chance for self-discovery and self-presentation, many instead are terrified by the uncertainty it brings.
“Will people like me for who I am? What if I accidentally leave the wrong impression?”
Faced with frightening
social implications, students often find it easier to fit into the mold of a
“typical” student and filter their personalities to match everyone else’s. This can be observed
particularly in social media platforms.
In a study conducted by Georgetown University, one of the most popular reasons for college students using Facebook was “self-presentation.” Unfortunately, putting on a good face can often get in the way of presenting oneself authentically.
I know I personally am
guilty of this identity “filtering." In case I seem
overly eager or intrusive, I have to wait a while before I like someone’s
Facebook status update or comment. I probably untag at least half of the
pictures that other people post of me. For fear of appearing too "different," my social media profile pages often get watered down.
Interests:
Singing
Art
Reading
Cooking
In various ways I
whittle down my online persona, whether it’s because I’m afraid of appearing
obsessive, unattractive, nerdy, unsociable, or in any way too different from
what’s “normal.”
...but really, what fun
is “normal?” Don’t your hobbies, and quirks contribute to what make you a
unique individual? These differences are what distinguish you from the crowd.Furthermore, when you present yourself honestly you attract other people with similar interests and characteristics, people who will appreciate your unique personality.
Contrary to common fears, authentic self-presentation online helps facilitate, rather than hinder, meaningful relationships. Be confident and show multiple sides of your personality online.
Really, just make an effort to be yourself.