Digital Identity — The Philosophy of “Openness” on the Web
From Wangqvist & Frisen’s article, they explored different methods that online identities can have on adolescents. The first one being that geography, and time don’t have that big of an affect on online identities. Location, and independence of time aren’t taken into much consideration, which can open other doors for online identities. Although social media can take a negative toll on many users, it also opens up the opportunity for many to be their true self, or someone you normally wouldn’t express in the real world. The first case being for those to explore their sexuality online, and be more open than they would be in their offline identities. In addition, being more verbal on their different cultural aspects. On the other hand, depending on the audience one has, they can hide certain information from friends, and family members in order to not be judged based on their sexual, or ethnicity identities. I think this can be especially true for adults as well. We feel less judged from others when we can hide behind a screen. Although, as we move into adulthood, and start our career paths, we tend to limit what we share online in order to decrease judgement from colleagues, and peers in the professional world.
Bozkurt & Tu’s article did a good job at sharing the effects that social networks have on our learning, and the development of our social identities. “How can social networks impact learning through digital identity formation?” I think that since the internet in general is filled with sharing, and exchanging endless amounts of information, the same can be done on social media platforms. As we are learning to express ourselves in our online identities, and meeting others that same way, we are being exposed to new information, and opinions regarding various topics, and it is up to us to decide what we do with the information we have received. As stated in the article, “The most profound impact of the Internet is its ability to support and expand the various aspects of social learning which assumes that learning is socially constructed through conversations about that content and through grounded interactions, especially with others, around problems, or actions (Brown & Adler, 2008), and social learning usually occurs on social networks which is a collection of individuals linked together by a set of relations (downes, 2005))” (Bozkurt & Tu (2016). I believe that social networks impact our learning through digital identity formation, we are able to form our own opinions and continue creating our social identities, and expressing what we learn. It seems like a cycle in a way.
I think a safe way to allows kids to explore the endless possibilities within the internet, and social networks is to do what most parents seem to be doing now. Especially seeing my best friend, and how she deals with the whole concept of the internet, and social media with her little sister. She is really on top of what her sister has access to, and what she has watched recently. When she hears of trends, or videos that are going around, and aren’t kid friendly, she makes sure her sister doesn’t watch it, and explains to her why she can’t. I think that is one of the most important things that parents, and loved ones can do for younger audiences. Not just limit them, but to explain the reasoning behind it, and not be afraid to answer questions, and talk about certain things that children can accidentally come across. Since technology is being incorporated more, and more into our lives today, it is important to make sure we don’t just completely shut kids out from what is actually out there.