In this digital era, it is easy to develop several identities on the Internet. However, is it more important to remain authentic or is it still acceptable to be anonymous?
Just like many other issues, there are always two sides to a coin. Having multiple identities gives one a chance to maintain anonymity, while at the same time allowing for control over self-censorship. Andrew Lewman also explained that being anonymous enables people to avoid tying their online movements to their real name for perpetuity. Furthermore, it gives the impression to users that it is possible to decide on the kind of image they want to present to different groups of people. It is clear these days that nothing on the Internet can be kept under wraps permanently. Private information on the Internet can only become ever more accessible to the general public. A simple search on Google can easily show pictures of you and thoughts that you mindlessly posted on the multitude of social network accounts that the majority of the population has these days. Even though your online identity cannot and should not be an actual representation of your true identity, it has weight on the impression that other people have of you and could cause negative impacts on your real life. These are described as partial identities by The Internet Society.
Credits: Saberhamidi
This leads to my next question, “is there a need to have multiple online identities?”. I personally think that as long as I am a responsible Internet user, I do not have to worry about the views of the general public, which includes my future employers, finding out about my online identity. Your online identity is shaped by each and every interaction you have with the Internet. In fact, this could range from simply purchasing an item from an online store to publishing a lengthy blogpost on WordPress. As a result, I believe in taking responsibility of our words and actions on the Internet. Having one single identity is not a problem when there is a choice of how much of your personal information do you want to risk being exposed. If necessary, there are also many privacy settings across the different social network platforms that can prevent stalkers or unwanted individuals from lurking around your profile. Moreover, in the case of having multiple identities, the “more professional” identity could be carefully crafted out. This is, yet again, an issue on being credible and authentic. As mentioned by Cristina Costa and Ricardo Torres, the Internet itself is already filled with suspicions and skepticism due to the “keyboard warriors”. There is a thin line between maintaining privacy and faking yourself as a serious misinterpretation of your physical identity.
With this, I will be ending this post with a simple screenshot of a Google search that I have done on myself on the Internet.
My Facebook account can be easily found when I Googled my name.
References:
Costa, C. & Torres, R., 2011. To be or not to be, the importance of Digital Identity in the networked society. [Online]
Available at: http://eft.educom.pt/index.php/eft/article/view/216/126
Krotoski, A., 2012. Online identity: is authenticity or anonymity more important?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/apr/19/online-identity-authenticity-anonymity
Society, I., n.d. Understanding your Online Identity: An Overview of Identity. [Online]
Available at: http://www.opus1.com/www/whitepapers/identity-overview1.pdf
escape the ordinary 
HI Jac!
Thank you for your explanation of the pros and cons of having a single identity.
I do agree that we should be somewhat authentic on our single online identities as it does contribute to the impression that others have on me.
However, I believe that the dangers of having a single identity goes far beyond than just digging up embarrassing photos of an individual. One could be a responsible internet user with a single online identity, but still be hit by something such as identity theft. There has been multiple cases of identity theft, with victims not being able to prove their identity thereafter. So, what are your thoughts on this? Are you still for having a single identity despite the serious dangers?
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Hello Kaye, you are right! Even when I stand by my opinion as being authentic with our online identity, it is true that I overlooked the danger of having a single identity. I updated on my thoughts on this issue over in my reflection. You can take a look 🙂
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Hi Jac! Thank you for sharing your views on having a single identity (one of the rare stands since majority agrees with having multiple online identities haha)
I agree on your point about one being able to have control over the extent of personal information he or she wants to divulge online. However if you are basing on the argument that so long as one is a responsible user and change the privacy settings on different social network platforms, then that would contradict your point of not having to worry that future employers will find out about our online identities. Let’s be honest, employers have a higher chance of hiring you if you are able to create a first good impression. So why go through the hassle of changing privacy settings in fear that future employers may chance upon a post or a photo they probably do not want to see? The credibility and authenticity part then becomes questionable. Is it possible to have a single online identity that selectively allows future employers have a peek into your personal life? if not, will you still opt for a single online identity?
Anyway, I strongly respect your stand and your post sure was a good read! Looking forward to other posts in the coming weeks 🙂
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Hello Klarissa, thank you for your comment 🙂 I stand by my opinion at being a responsible user and changing the privacy settings on various platforms. If there’s an issue on how future employers may come across a post or photo that you do not want them to see, perhaps it should have never been on the Internet. We will always have a choice with the decisions we make for our online movement. Additionally, by changing privacy settings (and not allowing your employers to be your Facebook friend or Twitter/Instagram follower), it should able to minimise or even eliminate the chances of future employers being able to chance upon something unpleasant. If unfortunately (or fortunately), your boss is a friend of yours on Facebook, it should give you second thought before posting anything. You can still stay authentic with the right decision! Hopefully I make sense to you and you are welcome back for more comments in future posts 🙂
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Hi Jacinda! I have the same sentiments as you! Your statement “private information on the Internet can only become ever more accessible to the general public” really resonated well with my thinking. The need for people to create an online identity should be one of valuable purpose and is recognizable. Hence, since anonymity defeats that purpose, I see no practical use of it. I perceive myself to be a responsible online user where my online identity on the various social platforms I use are true to how I am as an individual. Of course I agree that these expressions online should not be the actual representation of my actual identity but just highlights of who I am. Too add on, there are many imposing dangers like identity theft or cyberbullying online. My thought are, if we stick to one single identity, how should we further protect ourselves?
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Hello Elvina, thank you for your comment. I agree with how you mentioned about the dangers of the Internet. Firstly, there are definitely ways to protect yourself. Issues such as identity thief brings in the topic of security. With the right security settings on your accounts and strong passwords (they should not be the same across all platforms), Sensitive information should not be on the Internet in the first place. However, if needed, such as using a credit card to purchase an item, it is important to note that it should be on a reliable website. In the case of cyberbullying, educate yourself regarding this issue and also think twice before posting anything that can potentially be sensitive. Security settings should, yet again, be set properly.
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