Can I Trust ‘You’?

In everyday life people project their sense of identity through choices such as clothing, hairstyle and leisure activities. Such self-construction of identity in public view is mirrored in the online social networking environment. As Pearson (2009, p.1) suggests, “users in online spaces ‘perform’ their roles using codes and signs developed through ongoing online enculturation to construct an identity”. Establishing an online presence means picking and choosing images and information for public display – seemingly, identity construction in the virtual realm is unavoidable. 

Add Batman as a Friend?

 

While unavoidable, the large extent to which online identities can deviate from the ‘true’ nature of a person is concerning. Personal information such as marital status, gender, age and images, are often altered online for the effect of making a desired impression on the public. According to Donath and Boyd (2004, p.73), “On-line, identity is mutable and unanchored by the body that is its locus in the real world”. It is much easier to deceive from behind a computer screen than in a face-to-face situation. The broad connections established through social networking sites, make questioning the integrity of a person’s online identity difficult. This is particularly the case for users with ‘weak ties’ as discussed by Pearson (2009) and fellow blogger in “Garth’s Totally Excellent World”. It is my suggestion that online social networkers think twice before accepting user profiles at ‘face-value’. 

References

Pearson, E. (2009). All the World Wide Web's a Stage: The Performance of Identity in Online Social Networks. First Monday, 14(3), Retrieved from: http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2162/2127 (Accessed March 14, 2011)

Donath, J., & Boyd, D. (2004). Public displays of connection. BT Technology Journal, 22(4),71-81. Retrieved from: http://www.danah.org/papers/PublicDisplays.pdf  (Accessed March 14, 2011).