Identity is the concrete and defining aspect of who we are. Without identity we have no way of discerning the differences between one another. With the birth of the internet it has allowed people of all ages and genders the opportunity to experiment with their identities. You can alter your identity by just changing a few things, or you can take it to the extreme by changing your age, personality, physical appearance, and even your gender. Many identity researchers regard the self and identity as two different, yet related constructs. They assume that while individuals have only one self, they have many different identities. (Valkenburg, 2005) There are many characteristics in why people are stimulated to change their identity while communicating online. People say and do things in cyberspace that they would never do in a face to face interaction. Some people loosen up and express themselves more openly, such as secret emotions, fears, and dreams. Others become very abusive, using foul language, harsh criticisms, and even going as far as making threats. These acts sometimes good or bad are very hard for people to explore in the real world, so they turn to cyberspace. There are several factors that are involved when a person decides to alter their identity.
References
Valkenburg, P.M. (2005) Adolescents’ identity experiments on the internet. SAGE Publications, Vol7, 383-402.
Valkenburg, P.M. (2005) Adolescents’ identity experiments on the internet. SAGE Publications, Vol7, 383-402.
3 comments:
Being able to express themselves more in a digital world has its pluses, but does your research mention which environment is best for shaping one's identity?
Identity changing sounds intresting. Do you think it is healthy for someone to constantly change their identity, or will it make their maturing process as a person slow and difficult? It is good to express yourself, but do you think people take advantage of changing identities online? Stalkers, and child abusers alter their identities to lure in their prey. Is it safe?
"There are several factors that are involved when a person decides to alter their identity." Can you give examples of these factors? And do these factors change from person to person, depending on the reasonsing behind changing their identity?
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